Earlier today, the UFC announced that Joseph Benavidez will be facing Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 233, which just happens to be the same card that Henry Cejudo will be defending his newly-won flyweight championship against T.J. Dillashaw. Joseph Benavidez believes that these two bouts will be provide a proper showcase for the new storylines at 125:
“Us having a new champion in Cejudo totally changes everything around” Benavidez said today (Tuesday) on appearance on The Luke Thomas Show on SiriusXM. “This is the first real thing to happen in the history of the flyweight division. Like, we’ve literally had one champion the whole time, and it’s been crippled by this greatness that was Demetrious. But now that Cejudo’s the champ, so many things open up. And that’s why I looked at the last fight like, oh, I might have lost, but I had six wins in a row before that and one happens to be a win over Cejudo. But here we are, back again.
“And now, having a win over Perez and now fighting on the same card with the title fight, that’s even more so a fight that I think I could win and fight the potential winner, being T.J. or Cejudo.”
Joseph Benavidez is also of the belief that the booking of his bout against Figueiredo at UFC 233 was not coincidental, and that he has every reason to believe that he will be on standby as a potential replacement should Henry Cejudo or T.J. Dillashaw not make it to the flyweight title bout:
“T.J.’s never made flyweight. Things happen, especially in California, with weight and stuff. Even Cejudo’s had problems. So the fact that we have a security fight in me and Figueiredo on the card, I think that was another big reason it was booked so fast right on that card. That way, we’re both there. I’ve already been told to make championship weight when I weigh in that night, too.”
Do believe that Joseph Benavidez would become the new flyweight champion if he faces Henry Cejudo as a replacement opponent at UFC 233?
