Joseph Benavidez is officially on the UFC Brooklyn (UFC Fight Night 143) card, taking on Dustin Ortiz in a flyweight bout.
Joseph Benavidez, who was recently rumored to be the back-up fighter for the UFC Brooklyn main event of Henry Cejudo vs. T.J. Dillashaw, has been officially added to the card. Newsday was first to report that Benavidez will face fellow flyweight Dustin Ortiz at the event, which takes place January 19, 2019 at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, NY. The show is the UFC’s debut on ESPN+.
Benavidez (26-5) was originally scheduled for a fight with Deiveson Figueiredo at the now-cancelled UFC 233 in Anaheim. With that card nixed, he’s not only been moved to Brooklyn as a back-up, but officially in a fight. No word on why Figueiredo was not moved along with him.
A long-time member of the flyweight roster, Benavidez was expected to be one of the biggest beneficiaries when Demetrious Johnson was dethroned earlier this year. Benavidez had twice lost to ‘Mighty Mouse,’ and a third crack at the all-time great seemed unlikely. However, when Johnson was defeated by Henry Cejudo, Benavidez was back in the title hunt. At least until rumors began to swirl that the UFC planned to kill off the flyweight division.
Dillashaw, the current bantamweight champ, was then granted the chance to vie for a second UFC title. Whether the 125lb division survives past that remains to be seen, so Benavidez’s last hope for flyweight gold may rest on Dillashaw pulling out of the fight.
Ortiz (19-7) and Benavidez have met once before, with Joseph Benavidez winning a unanimous decision at UFC Austin in 2014. However, of late, Ortiz has been on a three fight win streak.
