Joseph Rolando Benavidez (born July 31, 1984) is an American former professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

. He competed in the

Flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of bo ...

division for the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC).

Background

Benavidez was born on July 31, 1984, in

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

, Texas, and is of

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

descent. Benavidez grew up with his single mother and two brothers. He attended

Las Cruces High School Las Cruces High School is a public high school in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States. LCHS opened in 1954 and is the oldest public high school in Las Cruces. As of the 2016–17 school year, it serves 1,661 students from grades 9–12. It is a p ...

, where he began training boxing. At the age of 16, he also began

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

, discipline in which he became a

New Mexico State New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public land-grant research university based primarily in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest public institution of higher education in New Mexico and one of the state's tw ...

champion. He continued to wrestle for one semester at

William Penn University William Penn University is a private university in Oskaloosa, Iowa. It was founded by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in 1873 as Penn College. In 1933, the name was changed to William Penn College, and finally to William P ...

before dropping out. From college onwards Benavidez struggled with alcohol and drug abuse before becoming sober, subsequently turning his interest into mixed martial arts. After fighting in smaller shows while working as a screen printer in Las Cruces, New Mexico, he joined up with

Urijah Faber Urijah Faber (born May 14, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist and actor who is signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He competed as a bantamweight and formerly competed as a featherweight. He is also the founder of Team Alpha Male, ...

's Team Alpha Male in 2007. Benavidez has since fought in

Dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...

, WEC and most recently the UFC. His fighting style has drawn comparisons to training partner and former WEC Featherweight Champion

. On April 27, 2010, the Mayor and City Council of the City of Las Cruces proclaimed April 27 as Joseph Benavidez Day in Las Cruces.

Mixed martial arts career

Team Alpha Male

Before joining up with

, Benavidez fought in smaller shows and trained while working as a screen printer in

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

. Hoping to eventually make a living fighting MMA, he sought out Faber on a trip to California in January 2007. Unable to find Faber's gym, he visited one in Roseville hoping to locate him. There his fighting ability impressed the members and instructors enough (or, in Faber's words: "'' ebasically beat the crap out of everyone''") to refer him to Faber. This was only hours before Benavidez' flight home was due and he had to leave for the airport, unable to meet up with him. His flight was then canceled, giving him the chance to meet up with Faber as he had hoped. Benavidez impressed Faber enough to offer him a job at the front desk of his gym, enabling him to leave New Mexico to come train with him and his team. Benavidez then went back to New Mexico, "''jammed everything into his car''" and moved to California. After fighting with smaller US-based promotions, Benavidez was offered a fight with

Norifumi Yamamoto was a Japanese mixed martial artist and kickboxer who competed in the bantamweight division of the UFC. He quickly gained popularity in the Shooto organization due to his aggressive, well-rounded style and controversial persona. He moved on to K ...

by Japanese MMA-promoter

in July 2008 at ''

Dream 5 ''DREAM.5 Light Weight Grandprix 2008 Final Round'' was a mixed martial arts event promoted by Fighting and Entertainment Group's mixed martial arts promotion DREAM. The event took place on Monday July 21, 2008 at the Osaka-jo Hall in Osaka, Jap ...

''. The bout was canceled only days before the fight, and Benavidez was instead matched against

Junya Kodo Junya Kodo (born March 24, 1983) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Flyweight division of Shooto organization. Kodo is also the head coach and representative of Shooto Gym Kobe. KODO replaced Norifumi Yamamoto in 2 d ...

whom he defeated by guillotine choke submission.

World Extreme Cagefighting

Benavidez was then signed by US-based

World Extreme Cagefighting World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts, mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion founded in 2001. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC ...

. On December 3, 2008, he fought

Danny Martinez Daniel Eugene Martinez (born June 14, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the flyweight division of Taura MMA. A professional mixed martial artist since 2006, Martinez has also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship ...

at ''

WEC 37 ''WEC 37: Torres vs. Tapia'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on December 3, 2008 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event aired live on the Versus Network. Background Former IFL stando ...

'' and won by unanimous decision. Benavidez faced

Jeff Curran Jeffrey Michael Curran (born September 2, 1977) is an American retired professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 1998, Curran has fought at a number of different weight classes for a large number of ...

on April 5, 2009 at

WEC 40 ''WEC 40: Torres vs. Mizugaki'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on April 5, 2009 at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois. The event aired live on the Versus Network. Background This was the first WEC event to ...

. Benavidez dominated Curran from the opening bell with superior grappling and striking, knocking the opponent down in the first round. Curran unsuccessfully attempted an armbar in the second round and a triangle choke in the third round. Next, Benavidez faced

Dominick Cruz Dominick Cruz (born March 9, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former two-time UFC Bantamweight Champion. Cruz ha ...

on August 9, 2009 at

WEC 42 ''WEC 42: Torres vs. Bowles'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on August 9, 2009 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada Background Kenji Osawa was originally scheduled to face Rani Yahya at this e ...

. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Benavidez fought

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

ace

Rani Yahya Rani Ahmad Yahya (born September 12, 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and BJJ practitioner. He won the 66 kg division of the prestigious ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in April 2007. He currently fights in t ...

on December 19, 2009 at

WEC 45 ''WEC 45: Cerrone vs. Ratcliff'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on December 19, 2009 at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas.www.wec.tv/index.cfm It marked the first time the WEC has held back-to ...

. Benavidez won via first round TKO. Benavidez defeated former WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres on March 6, 2010 at

WEC 47 ''WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on March 6, 2010. It was held at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio Background The only WEC event held in Ohio, WEC 47 coincided with the Arnold S ...

. He dominated the former Bantamweight Champion before opening a huge cut on Torres' forehead and submitting the bloodied Torres via guillotine choke.

Bantamweight title shot and beyond

Benavidez fought

in a rematch for the

WEC Bantamweight Championship This is a list of World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) champions at each weight class. In December 2006 World Extreme Cagefighting was bought by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the UFC, to concentrate on the four smaller weight classes under th ...

on August 18, 2010 at

WEC 50 ''WEC 50: Cruz vs. Benavidez 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on August 18, 2010 at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas. Background This event marked WEC's first visit to Las Vegas since WEC 4 ...

. Benavidez lost to Cruz for a second time via split decision. Benavidez faced

Wagnney Fabiano Wagnney Silva Fabiano-Santos (born July 14, 1975) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He is best known for fighting in the WEC, as well as for the Toronto Dragons of the International Fight League and is the former IFL Featherweight Champion. ...

on November 11, 2010, replacing an injured Brian Bowles. Benavidez defeated Fabiano via second round submission. After an uneventful first round of striking between the two, Benavidez stung Fabiano with a left and pounced, submitting the 3rd degree black belt with a guillotine choke at 2:45 of the second round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

2011

On October 28, 2010,

merged with the

. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC. In his UFC debut, Benavidez faced

Ian Loveland Ian Loveland (born September 7, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. Loveland has fought for promotions such as King of the Cage, International Fight League, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mixed Martial Arts Car ...

on March 19, 2011 at

UFC 128 ''UFC 128: Shogun vs. Jones'' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 19, 2011, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Background This event was expected to take place in Abu Dha ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Benavidez next fought

Eddie Wineland Edward Alan Wineland Jr. (born June 26, 1984) is an American retired mixed martial artist, who competed in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2003 until 2022, Wineland was the in ...

on August 14, 2011 at

UFC on Versus 5 ''UFC Live: Hardy vs. Lytle'' (also known as ''UFC on Versus 5'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 14, 2011, at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The event was the first that the UFC h ...

. Benavidez defeated Wineland by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

2012

At the

UFC 140 ''UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 10, 2011 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was the penultimate event for the UFC in 2011. The event feat ...

post-fight press conference, Dana White announced that Benavidez would be a participant in a four man tournament to crown the new newly created

UFC Flyweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

. Benavidez faced

Yasuhiro Urushitani is a Japanese mixed martial artist competing in the flyweight division. Urushitani held the Shooto bantamweight championship from 2010 to 2012 before vacating it to sign with the UFC. He was among the first flyweight fighters to fight in the UFC, ...

on March 3, 2012 at

UFC on FX 2 ''UFC on FX: Alves vs. Kampmann'' (also known as ''UFC on FX 2'') was a mixed martial arts event held live by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday March 3, 2012 at the Allphones Arena in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Background ...

and won via TKO in the second round, earning ''Knockout of the Night'' honors for his performance. Benavidez faced

Demetrious Johnson Demetrious Johnson (born August 13, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist. He currently competes in ONE Championship, where he is the current ONE Flyweight Champion (135 lb). He is the inaugural and former UFC Flyweight Champion. Known fo ...

on September 22, 2012 at

UFC 152 ''UFC 152: Jones vs. Belfort '' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 22, 2012, at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Background Rory MacDonald was expected to face fo ...

for the inaugural UFC Flyweight Championship. In an incredibly closely contested fight that contained nonstop action at a frenetic pace, he lost the fight in via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 49-46).

2013

Benavidez faced Ian McCall on February 2, 2013 at

UFC 156 ''UFC 156: Aldo vs. Edgar '' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 2, 2013, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Paradise, Nevada. Background A bout between Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida was brie ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Benavidez then faced

Darren Uyenoyama Darren Uyenoyama (born October 15, 1979) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing for Pacific Xtreme Combat in the Flyweight division. A professional competitor since 2002, Uyenoyama has formerly competed for the ...

on April 20, 2013 at

UFC on Fox 7 The year 2013 is the 21st year in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. 2013 started with ''UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Bisping''. 2013 also saw the introduction of the wome ...

. He won the fight via TKO in the second round. Benavidez faced

Jussier Formiga Jussier da Silva Viera Formiga (born April 14, 1985) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division. A professional competitor since 2005, Formiga most notably competed in the UFC and is the former Shooto South Ameri ...

on September 4, 2013 at UFC Fight Night 28. He won the fight by TKO in round 1 after dropping Formiga with a knee to the body and following up with punches. A rematch with

was expected for November 30, 2013 at

The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate'' (also known as ''The Ultimate Fighter 18'') is the eighteenth U.S.-based installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. Th ...

. However the bout was shifted to December 14, 2013 at

UFC on Fox 9 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

after that event's headliner was postponed due to injury. Benavidez lost via knockout in the first round, the first time he has been stopped in his MMA career.

2014

Benavidez faced

Tim Elliott Timothy Samuel Elliott (born December 24, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Flyweight (MMA), Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is the former Titan FC Titan Fighting Champions ...

on April 26, 2014 at

UFC 172 ''UFC 172: Jones vs. Teixeira'' was a mixed martial arts event that was held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 26, 2014, at the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. The event was released on DVD on July 29, 2014. The DVD was distr ...

. Benavidez won the fight in the first round via modified guillotine choke. Elliot was forced to tap with his feet as his arms were trapped by Benavidez's legs. Benavidez has called this submission the "Joa Constrictor". The win also earned Benavidez his first ''Performance of the Night'' bonus award. Benavidez faced

Dustin Ortiz Dustin Ortiz (born December 25, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division and is currently signed to the Brave CF. A professional competitor since 2010, Ortiz has also formerly competed for the UFC, RFA, T ...

on November 22, 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 57 ''UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Swanson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 57'') was a mixed martial arts event held at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas, on November 22, 2014. Background The event was the second that the organization had host ...

. Benavidez won the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision.

2015

Benavidez faced

John Moraga John Anthony Moraga (born March 20, 1984) is an American professional boxer and mixed martial artist who competes as a flyweight and featherweight in MMA and boxing, respectively. He is best known for his lengthy career Ultimate Fighting Champio ...

on May 23, 2015 at

UFC 187 ''UFC 187: Johnson vs. Cormier'' was a mixed martial arts event held on May 23, 2015, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The event was expected to be headlined by a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship bout between then ...

. Benavidez won the fight via unanimous decision. Benavidez was briefly linked to a bout against former Olympic Gold Medalist

Henry Cejudo Henry Cejudo (born February 9, 1987) is an American professional Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and Freestyle wrestling, freestyle wrestler. He is the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) UFC Flyweight Championship, Flyweight Ch ...

on September 5, 2015 at

UFC 191 ''UFC 191: Johnson vs. Dodson 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held on September 5, 2015, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background Initially, a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship bout between current champion Daniel Cormie ...

. However, the fight never materialized. In turn, Benavidez faced

Ali Bagautinov Ali Shamilevich Bagautinov (russian: Али Шами́льевич Багаутинов; born June 10, 1985 in Dagestan) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist of Dargin origin who competed in the Flyweight division of the Ultima ...

on October 3, 2015 at

UFC 192 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. Benavidez won the fight via unanimous decision.

2016

Benavidez faced

Zach Makovsky Zachary Paul "Zach" Makovsky (born April 19, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the flyweight division of the Brave Combat Federation. He has competed in EliteXC, ShoXC, Bellator, and Ultimate Fighting Championshi ...

on February 6, 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 82 ''UFC Fight Night: Hendricks vs. Thompson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 82'') was a mixed martial arts event held on February 6, 2016, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The event was originally billed as ''UFC 19 ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. In May 2016, the UFC announced that Benavidez would be one of the coaches, opposite

on The Ultimate Fighter 24. The pairing faced each other on December 3, 2016 at The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale. Benavidez won the back and forth fight via split decision.

2017

Benevidez was expected to face

Ben Nguyen Ben Nguyen or Nguyễn Ben, (born August 3, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who competed as a flyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he compiled a record of 4–3 with the organization. He is also a former Nitro B ...

on June 11, 2017 at

UFC Fight Night 110 ''UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Hunt'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 110'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on 11 June 2017 at the Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. Background The event was ...

. However, Benavidez pulled out of the fight on May 10 with a knee injury and was replaced by

2018

Benavidez faced

Sergio Pettis Sergio Jerome Pettis (born August 18, 1993) is an American mixed martial artist who is currently signed with Bellator MMA, where he is the current Bellator Bantamweight Champion. Prior to signing with Bellator, Pettis competed in the Ultimate Fig ...

on June 9, 2018 at

UFC 225 ''UFC 225: Whittaker vs. Romero 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on June 9, 2018, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Background A UFC Middleweight Championship bout between ...

. He lost the back and forth fight via split decision. Benavidez was expected to face Ray Borg on November 10, 2018 at

UFC Fight Night 139 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. However on November 7, 2018 it was reported that the bout was cancelled due to undisclosed medical issue for Borg. Benavidez faced Alex Perez on November 30, 2018 at The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale. He won the fight via technical knockout out in round one. This win earned him the

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

award.

2019

Benavidez was briefly scheduled to face

Deiveson Figueiredo Deiveson Alcântara Figueiredo (born December 18, 1987) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the two-time and current UFC Flyw ...

on January 19, 2019 at

UFC Fight Night 143 ''UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Dillashaw'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 143'' or ''UFC on ESPN+ 1'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on January 19, 2019, at the Barclays Center in Br ...

. However, the promotion clarified plans indicating that the pairing was off and that Benavidez would be an alternate for the headliner bout in the event that either

T.J. Dillashaw Tyler Jeffrey Dillashaw (born February 7, 1986) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former two-time UFC Bantamweight Champion. Dillashaw competed on ...

would be forced from the main event. Subsequently, Benavidez indicated that he would like to compete on the card, so while being an alternate for the headliner, a rematch with

took place at the event. Benavidez would win the fight via unanimous decision. Benavidez signed a new, four-fight contract with the UFC before the fight with Ortiz. Benavidez faced

in a rematch on June 29, 2019 at

UFC on ESPN 3 ''UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. dos Santos'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 3'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on June 29, 2019, at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Background Th ...

. He won the fight via technical knockout in the second round. This fight earned him the ''Performance of the Night'' award. After the fight, in the post-fight interview, he declared himself "Joey Two Times".

2020

Benavidez fought

for the vacant

UFC Fight Night 169 ''UFC Fight Night: Benavidez vs. Figueiredo'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 169'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 27'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 29, 2020 at Chartway Arena in ...

on February 29, 2020. At the weigh-ins on February 28, Figueiredo missed weight, weighing in at 127.5 pounds and became ineligible to win the Flyweight championship. In addition, Figueiredo was fined 30 percent of his purse which went to Benavidez. Benavidez lost the fight by TKO in round two. Benavidez rematched with

for the vacant

UFC Fight Night 172 ''UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 172'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 30'' and ''UFC Fight Island 2'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 19, 2020 ...

on July 19, 2020. On July 11, 2020, Figueiredo tested positive for COVID-19. According to Figueiredo's manager, the bout had yet to be officially removed and Figueiredo was administered a second COVID-19 test on July 12, 2020 where the result would be back on July 13, 2020 to determined if Figueiredo was free to fight. Figueiredo passed multiple COVID-19 tests, clearing the fight to proceed as the main event. Benavidez lost the fight via a technical submission in round one.

2021

Benavidez faced off against

Askar Askarov Askar Askarov (russian: Аскар Сайпулаевич Аскаров; born 9 October 1992) is a Russian mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestler who competes in the Flyweight division. A professional mixed martial artist since 2013, Askaro ...

on March 6, 2021 at

UFC 259 ''UFC 259: Błachowicz vs. Adesanya '' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 6, 2021 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United ...

. At the weigh-ins, Askar weighed in at 127 pounds, one pound over the flyweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at a catchweight and Askarov was fined a percentage of his individual purse, which went to Benavidez. Benavidez lost the fight via unanimous decision. In September 2021, Benavidez announced that he was retiring from MMA.

Personal life

Benavidez is married to UFC reporter

Megan Olivi Megan Olivi is an American mixed martial arts news/events reporter who hosts '' UFC Ultimate Insider'' on Fox Sports 1. Early life Megan Olivi is the youngest of three children and was born in New Jersey. She spent the majority of her youth grow ...

Championships & accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** Knockout of the Night (One time) **

(Three times) **Most wins in the UFC Flyweight division (13, tied with

) **Most fights in the UFC Flyweight division (19) **Most knockout wins in the UFC Flyweight division (five) *

** Fight of the Night (One time) ** Submission of the Night (One time) *

Sherdog Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It also has many forums and discussion pages on the many topics of MMA like records, promotions, etc. The site is a member of the CraveOnline network and provides MM ...

**2010 All-Violence Second Team

Mixed martial arts record

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, Decision (unanimous) ,

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, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Swanson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, Texas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–4 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:08 ,

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, Maryland, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–4 ,

, KO (punch) , UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Benavidez 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:08 ,

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–3 ,

, TKO (knee to the body and punches) , UFC Fight Night: Teixeira vs. Bader , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:07 ,

Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte (, ; ) is the sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population around 2.7 million and with a metropolitan area of 6 million people. It is the 13th-largest city in South America and the 18th-largest in the Americas. The metropol ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 18–3 ,

, TKO (body punches) , UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Melendez , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:50 , San Jose, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–3 , Ian McCall , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–3 ,

, Decision (split) ,

, , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Ontario, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 16–2 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC on FX: Alves vs. Kampmann , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:11 ,

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 15–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Live: Hardy vs. Lytle , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

, Wisconsin, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

, New Jersey, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) ,

WEC 52 ''WEC 52: Faber vs. Mizugaki'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on November 11, 2010 at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas. Background Urijah Faber made his bantamweight debut against Japanese striker Takeya Mi ...

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:45 ,

, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–2 ,

, Decision (split) ,

, , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 , Miguel Torres , Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:57 ,

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

, Ohio, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:35 ,

, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Illinois, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:42 ,

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Maurice Eazel , Submission (rear-naked choke) , PFC 8: A Night of Champions , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:02 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Jason Georgianna , Submission (guillotine choke) , PFC 6: No Retreat, No Surrender , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:38 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Rocky Del Monte , Submission (triangle choke) , Independent Event , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A , Lakeport, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Carlos Lovio , TKO (punches) , Bring it On: Under Destruction , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Oxnard Oxnard () is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. On California's South Coast, it is the most populous city in Ventura County and the 22nd-most-populous city in California. Incorporated in 1903, Oxnard lies approximately west ...

, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Justin Smitley , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Warrior Cup 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:18 , Stockton, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Ramon Rodriguez , Submission (triangle choke) , Border Warz , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:33 ,

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

, Colorado, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Brandon Shelton , Submission (kimura) , Universal Fight Promotions , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

Mescalero Mescalero or Mescalero Apache ( apm, Naa'dahéńdé) is an Apache tribe of Southern Athabaskan–speaking Native Americans. The tribe is federally recognized as the Mescalero Apache Tribe of the Mescalero Apache Reservation, located in south-cen ...

, New Mexico, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Benavidez, Joseph 1984 births Living people Sportspeople from Las Cruces, New Mexico American male mixed martial artists American mixed martial artists of Mexican descent Mixed martial artists from New Mexico Bantamweight mixed martial artists William Penn University alumni Flyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing American Muay Thai practitioners Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters

Background

Mixed martial arts career

Team Alpha Male

World Extreme Cagefighting

Bantamweight title shot and beyond

Ultimate Fighting Championship

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Personal life

Championships & accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record

See also

References

External links