Joseph Benavidez might just get one more chance at becoming a UFC champion, as UFC president Dana White just suggested.
According to a report from Adam Hill of The Las Vegas Review-Journal, White has said he’s leaning towards a rematch between Benavidez and Deiveson Figueiredo from this past weekend. The fight would be for the 125-pound title.
UFC president Dana White says he is leaning toward booking a Benavidez-Figueiredo rematch for the 125-pound title
— Adam Hill (@AdamHillLVRJ) March 3, 2020
Benavidez and Figueiredo headlined UFC Norfolk this past Saturday. Initially, the fight was to determine the new champion of the flyweight division. However, Figueiredo missed weight for the fight and was ineligible to win the strap. Benavidez was the only competitor eligible to win the belt, but unfortunately for him, he was finished in the second round via TKO.
The 125-pound title remains vacant, but if White gets his way, that won’t be the case for much longer. Hill’s report adds that White’s decision comes due to the headbutt that busted Benavidez open just before the TKO, and the fact that Figueiredo missed weight.
Combination of Figueiredo missing weight and the clash of heads being a determining factor in the outcome https://t.co/ByRyq25ut9
— Adam Hill (@AdamHillLVRJ) March 3, 2020
Any rematch would have to wait a few months, as Benavidez was handed a three-month medical suspension by the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation this week. Prior to the fight, Henry Cejudo ruled as the division’s champion before being forced to vacate the title due to inactivity.
