Just heal up, don't worry about it right now." Two hours later, he tipped the scale at 185.2, and the fight proceeded as a nontitle bout -- which Whittaker won by split decision. In his previous fight, Montel Jackson landed 11 takedowns en route to a unanimous decision victory. When you do every single thing you can do right, and then there's still some way to mess it up. The story part of it was perfect. UFC Fight Night viewers guide: Joseph Benavidez takes one more shot at flyweight gold on Fight Island. Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Joseph Benavidez | Men's flyweight She is the biggest favorite on the card, at -850. • Prelims: ESPN/ESPN+, 5 p.m. Listen. Seven fighters have fared worse, going at least 0-3 in UFC title fights: 14-2: Benavidez's UFC record when he has been a betting favorite, as he is this week (-130). But Lutter failed to make the 185-pound limit. • Prelims: ESPN+, 5 p.m. ESPN/ESPN+, 5 p.m. Now, less than five months later, they are at it again. UFC Fight Island: Fighters react to Deiveson Figueiredo's dominant flyweight title win © 2020 Forbes Media LLC. Figueiredo missed weight by 2.5 pounds, which meant he couldn't be crowned champion with a win. Benavidez by fourth-round TKO. It's really weird, because the mental side was so good last time as far as confidence, belief, all that stuff you have going into a fight, that you need to have. It's not like a race, where you know you're going to run that time because you're feeling that. Knock us over with a feather. But ... yes, it would be nice. Joseph Rolando Benavidez [2], né le 31 juillet 1984 à San Antonio dans le Texas, est un pratiquant de MMA américain. Now it's like, "Oh, he gets another title shot." The next night, in a nontitle bout, Silva submitted Lutter with a triangle choke in the second round. Brett Johns vs. Montel Jackson | Men's bantamweight That September, the final pitted Benavidez against Demetrious Johnson, who won a split decision to become the inaugural champion. After their last fight ended in controversy, Deiveson Figueiredo and Joseph Benavidez are very confident in their rematch for the UFC flyweight title on Saturday. ET Luis Peña vs. Steve Garcia | Lightweight I felt focused and present even with the no crowd. The answer came less than two minutes into Round 2, and it came abruptly and harshly. Benavidez took a step backward, and there was blood from a cut above his left eye. And this one, being with quarantine and this rematch being low-key, it's felt great. Two of the three title fight losses were by narrow split decision. 2. But as the discarded photograph suggests, Benavidez isn't putting that pressure on himself. And everything started to come back. The 24 fighters represent 13 countries: the United States, Brazil, Norway, England, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Georgia, Ireland, Spain, Wales, Canada, Sweden and Moldova. The blow knocked Benavidez to the mat, where he fought off multiple choke attempts. Joseph Benavidez, as told to Brett Okamoto, Benavidez has ill will against Figueiredo (1:29), UFC Fight Island -- Why Benavidez wants to hurt Figueiredo in rematch. Figueiredo sneaks onto the end of the top-10 list with his 1:15:50. I thought the last one was going to be my last title shot. Subscribe to ESPN+ to get exclusive live UFC events, weigh-ins and more; Ariel and the Bad Guy; Dana White's Contender Series; and more exclusive MMA content. Here are some reasons for hope for each man: For Hermansson: His 2.57 strike differential is the highest in UFC middleweight history (minimum five fights) and he holds the division record for most significant strikes landed in a five-round fight (148 vs. Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza last year). Felicia Spencer vs. Zarah Fairn | Women's featherweight It's almost something I can't wait to look back on. Was this cleared with Stephen Thompson? What the heck is going on here? Spike Carlyle goes by "The Alpha Ginger," which isn't bad. What's worse, the fight was in Copenhagen, in front of many of his Scandinavian fans. “I’m not going out like that and nothing is guaranteed in this sport for sure, but I’m not going to get another title shot,” Benavidez said. It's an odd turn of events, but the flyweight division was built for Benavidez, in a sense. But things aren't so straightforward with the other side of the main event. He challenged then-WEC bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz in 2010 and came up short. I'm doing it again." She has put that one on the line twice since becoming a double champ in December 2018 and has not yet defended at 145, with nothing even on the horizon. All I do is concentrate on the fighting. Ion Cutelaba vs. Magomed Ankalaev | Light heavyweight ESPN+, 8 p.m. Before this trip to Abu Dhabi, the last time there were that many debuting fighters on a card was last August at UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Zhang in Shenzhen, China. But Benavidez's ability to blend technique together and experience against tougher competition is the difference. Win: Tim Elliott (SUB1, Oct. 12, 2019; Watch on ESPN+) I’ve written about crime, technology, fitness, and entertainment for a variety of outlets. I knew about the rematch pretty much right away. Win: Joseph Benavidez (TKO2, Feb. 29; watch on ESPN+) Win: Alexandre Pantoja (UD, July 27, 2019; Watch on ESPN+) So here they are, Figueiredo and Benavidez united again, with each man having come to Fight Island seeking to author a new chapter in his personal narrative. Fights go fast but I could see little movements felt focused.”. 1. Megan Anderson vs. Norma Dumont | Women's featherweight You at least know that's all I could have done. The 32-year-old Brazilian tested positive for COVID-19 on July 10, putting the fight in jeopardy, but subsequent tests came back negative. I’ve written about crime, technology, fitness, and entertainment for a variety of. 7: Wins by Figueiredo since his UFC debut in 2017, the most for a flyweight during that span. Figueiredo is very good and, like Benavidez, is quick to jump on a finish. UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez Sources: ESPN Stats & Information and UFC Stats, Deiveson Figueiredo's most recent results I didn't run through 10 guys again or have ACL surgery this time, but the emotional part was harder. UFC Fight Night viewers guide: Is it finally Joseph Benavidez's time? UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez But the day before, Riggs was unable to make the 170-pound limit, even after stepping on the scale four times.