Joseph Benavidez solidified himself as the #1 contender with his victory over Jussier Formiga last weekend at UFC Minneapolis, and now all that is left for him to do is wait for another crack at the flyweight championship, this time against reigning champion Henry Cejudo. Based on the recent shoulder surgery Cejudo underwent and the peculiar list of names he called out in his Octagon interview at UFC 238, Benavidez might be waiting for a while (Transcript via Bloody Elbow):
“I’ve realized that I can’t control what the hell everyone else is gonna do,” Benavidez said at the post-fight press conference. “People are crazy. People want different things. They think there’s some imaginary fight and title or something. I don’t know what the heck [Cejudo] is gonna do, but I know his last call-outs didn’t make sense, and I’m the only one that does make sense. I think the competitor in him, and hopefully even the company, will see that that’s the fight to make.”
“I don’t believe someone like Cejudo would be scared of somebody,” Benavidez said. “He’s avoiding it for whatever reason. It was a hell of a fight the first time, and I know it’s hell in there.
The wait may not bee too excruciating if Cejudo were to face Benavidez upon his return, and for a veteran like Benavidez who has seen it all, the waiting period would not be an issue:
“I’ve sat out months before,” Benavidez said. “The opponent I want, there’s a huge prize there, and it’s the fight to make. What, I got to wait four or five months I think before he said he can fight? That’s nothing. I’ve fought pretty recently with the (Alex) Perez, (Dustin) Ortiz and this fight — three times already in the last six months. If I have to wait for a surgery to fight for a world title fight — longer time to prepare, to get better, five rounds — that’s not a problem.”
Do you believe Joseph Benavidez should be the next opponent for Henry Cejudo when Cejudo returns to action?
