Joseph Benavidez admits he has lost respect for Deiveson Figueiredo.
Tomorrow night (Feb. 29), Benavidez will share the Octagon with Figueiredo. The bout will headline UFC Norfolk inside the Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. While the vacant UFC title will be on the line, this only applies to Benavidez. That’s because Figueiredo missed the flyweight limit by 2.5 pounds.
Benavidez Scolds Figueiredo Over Missing Weight
MMAJunkie.com‘s Mike Bohn caught up with Benavidez following the weigh-in drama. Benavidez said that Figueiredo has shown his lack of confidence by missing weight.
“You have to lose respect for somebody in that regard,” Benavidez said. “They have the biggest opportunity of their life there and they squander it like that. … It’s just more conviction that he wasn’t going to ever win the belt, anyway. Obviously, I was the only one who was going to win it. I’m the only one who came to win it. It doesn’t change what I’m going to do. He tried to get out of the first fight he did when it got moved a week up. He had a weight issue. This fight, he’s trying to get out with this.”
With the weigh-in miss, Figueiredo has blown what would’ve been his first UFC title opportunity. He hadn’t missed weight under the UFC banner prior. With that said, Figueiredo was only able to hit 125 pounds on the nose once during his UFC run.
As for Benavidez, he tipped the scales at 124.5 pounds. This will be his third UFC title shot. Benavidez was also a former WEC title challenger but could never snag that title either. It’ll be a long time coming for Benavidez if he can finally claim gold tomorrow night.
The question is, can he pull it off? We’ll know our answer tomorrow night. Can’t watch UFC Norfolk live? Don’t fret, we’ll be bringing you live coverage on fight night. Join us for live results, highlights, and all the post-fight goodness you’ll need.
