Joseph Benavidez is set for his second straight rematch. First, back at UFC Brooklyn, he beat Dustin Ortiz for the second time. Now, at UFC Minneapolis, the flyweight is taking on Jussier Formiga, which will also be a rematch. The two fought back in 2013 where Benavidez knocked out Formiga.
Now, he expects to once again hand Formiga another loss and wants another rematch after that. And, that happens to be against current flyweight champion, Henry Cejudo, who he beat back in 2016.
“The thing is that you have to play it by ear. You don’t have a choice,” Benavidez said to MMA Fighting. “You can’t force a guy to do this or do that. B ut as far as the plan goes, I win this fight and fight Cejudo whenever he’s ready.
“That should be his next fight, that’s the biggest challenge for him right now, that’s his only loss. He fought at bantamweight and even though there’s contenders, no one has a win over him, no one has history. He should come avenge his loss. That’s the fight that makes the most sense in either of the divisions he’s champion. So that’s the plan: Win this fight and fight him when he’s healthy, pretty simple.”
Although Cejudo has looked like a completely different fighter since they fought, Benavidez still believes he beats him. And, he will use that as motivation again to show he is the best flyweight in the UFC.
“I beat him and that’s how I’m always looking at him,” Benavidez said. “I’m better than him, I beat him, I pushed a pace on him and landed clean this clean that. I look at that so it’s motivating to see him do everything he can because that’s what I know of him.
“Obviously he’s improved and his confidence has skyrocketed, and that’s a huge thing. So I’d be naive to think that he’s not different, that he hasn’t changed. But for me, he’s still the guy that I coached against in The Ultimate Fighter and my team beat his, and I beat him in the finale. That’s how I look at him right now. He just happens to be doing some others things too, which is great and motivating within itself. But me personally, as a competitor, that’s how I look at him, as somebody I already beat. But, nowing and not being naive to his improvements and everything he’s done.”
