Joseph Benavidez reacts following “nightmare” loss to Deiveson Figueiredo

Flyweight standout Joseph Benavidez received his third crack at 125-pound gold this evening when he squared off with Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Norfolk.

‘Joe-Jitsu’ was the only man eligible to take home the promotions vacant flyweight world title, this after Figueiredo missed the title fight weight limit by 2.5lbs on Friday.

Unfortunately for Benavidez and his fans tonight’s UFC headliner did not go his way. ‘Joe Jitsu’ was able to escape an early armbar attempt from Figueiredo in round one and then seemed to be turning the tide before getting dropped at the very end of the round.

In round two both men came out aggressively which ultimately resulted in the fighters clashing heads. Shortly after that collision, Deiveson Figueiredo would find a home for a beautiful straight right hand which sent Joseph Benavidez crashing to the canvas (see that here). From there, just one lone hammer fist was needed to prompt the referee to mercifully step in and stop the contest.

Following his third failed attempt at UFC flyweight gold, a dejected Joseph Benavidez spoke to Michael Bisping in his post-fight interview.

“I just feel like this isn’t real right now. But.. It’s like some freaking nightmare. I had a lot of visions talking to you after (the fight) and about a lot of things that were going to happen but they didn’t. I mean sh*t man life is tough. I know everybody is going through ups and downs everywhere. This is mine. It is on display. I’m lucky to be alive I guess,” Benavidez said with a laugh. “But, I worked my ass off for that and it didn’t go great. Thank you to all you guys for coming out.”

The loss snapped a three-fight winning streak for Joseph Benavidez, who now drops to 28-6 overall as a professional.

Who would you like to see Joseph Benavidez fight next following his tough loss to Deiveson Figueiredo at tonight’s UFC event in Virginia? Sound off in the comments section PENN Nation!

February 29, 2020