Coming off a unanimous decision victory over Dustin Ortiz last month (Sat. January 19, 2019), Joseph Benavidez recently joined MMA Junkie Radio. During their conversation, Benavidez touched on the recent trend of “Champ Champs” in mixed martial arts (MMA). Benavidez pointed out that nothing good has ever really come out of the trend. When Conor McGregor became a “Champ Champ” in 2016, he never defended either of his titles.
Eventually, he was stripped of them both. Daniel Cormier became a “Champ Champ” last year, winning the UFC heavyweight title after already holding the light heavyweight crown. Of course, Cormier went on to defend the heavyweight title, but later relinquished the 205-pound strap. And now, Amanda Nunes holds both the UFC’s women’s featherweight and bantamweight titles.
It’s believed her days of fighting at featherweight are done, but that remains to be seen. To sum it up, Benavidez says nothing good has ever come out of UFC dual championship fights:
“It sounds fun, but nothing good ever came out of it,” said Benavidez. “It’s literally to get on the list of double champs, but no one defends. People are like, ‘I did it, (and) I’m not going to fight there again.’”
Benavidez’s division could very well be affected by a dual title fight next. The ongoing feud between flyweight king Henry Cejudo and 135-pound title holder TJ Dillashaw continues. It remains to be seen if they’ll rematch one another, and at what weight class that rematch will take place.
What do you think about Benavidez’s comments on UFC “Champ Champs”?
