Joseph Benavidez feels it’s his destiny to challenge Henry Cejudo for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) flyweight gold.
Benavidez is scheduled to take on Jussier Formiga in the co-main event of UFC Minneapolis on June 29. With UFC president Dana White confirming that the men’s 125-pound weight class will stick around, Benavidez vs. Formiga is a pivotal bout in the flyweight division. In the past, White has said the winner of this fight will get a title opportunity.
Benavidez Says Cejudo Has To Avenge Loss To Him
Back in Dec. 2016, Benavidez earned a controversial split decision win over Cejudo. During an appearance on Submission Radio, Benavidez said a rematch makes too much sense to ignore (via MMAMania.com):
“You look at the number one guy at bantamweight, which would be Aljamain Sterling. And you look at the number one guy in flyweight, which would be me and Formiga. And having me come out of that, I make more sense than anybody right now. Nobody else has history with Cejudo – and not only history, a win over him. So that’s what makes the most sense, is no one can say they’ve got a win over him. That last win, he has to avenge that loss.”
He went on to say that another win over Formiga should prove that he is the number one contender at flyweight:
“They’re calling me Joey ‘Two Times’ because I’m having to beat everybody twice, including in the future Cejudo once I get that fight after this one. Having to get past Formiga, like, I have to do everything twice. So, yeah, I mean, the motivation, it’s not anything crazy, it’s nothing romantic, it’s what we do, it’s our job. You know, they call us to fight, they call us in to work. That’s what you do. You don’t fear any man, you don’t take any shortcuts, you don’t take any easy routes.”
