Learn more about Joseph Benavidez's UFC history, fighter facts, and Q&A below.
Fighter Facts
- Won WEC Fight of the Night award in loss to Cruz (1st fight) and Submission of the Night for win over Torres
- Nine wins by submission (5 guillotine, 1 RNC, 2 triangle, 1 kimura), eight by knockout
- Submitted Junya Kudo in DREAM fight in Japan in 2008
- Only pro losses have come to Johnson (twice), Dominick Cruz (twice) and Pettis.
- Has won 16 of his last 19 and three in a row
- Seven first round finishes
UFC History
UFC Fight Night (7/19/20) Benavidez was submitted by Deiveson Figueiredo via rear naked choke at 4:48 of the first round
UFC Fight Night (2/29/20) Benavidez was stopped by Deiveson Figueiredo via strikes at 1:54 of the second round in a bout for the vacant UFC flyweight title.
UFC on ESPN (6/29/19) Benavidez stopped Jussier Formiga via strikes at 4:47 of the second round
UFC Fight Night (1/19/19) Benavidez won a three round unanimous decision over Dustin Ortiz
TUF 28 Finale (11/30/18) Benavidez stopped Alex Perez via strikes at 4:21 of the first round
UFC 225 (6/9/18) Benavidez lost a three round split decision to Sergio Pettis
TUF 24 Finale (12/3/16) Benavidez won a three round split decision over Henry Cejudo
UFC Fight Night (2/6/16) Benavidez won a three round unanimous decision over Zach Makovsky
UFC 192 (10/3/15) Benavidez won a three round unanimous decision over Ali Bagautinov
UFC 187 (5/23/15) Benavidez won a three round unanimous decision over John Moraga
UFC Fight Night (11/22/14) Benavidez won a three round unanimous decision over Dustin Ortiz
UFC 172 (4/26/14) Benavidez submitted Timothy Elliott via guillotine choke at 4:08 of the first round
UFC on FOX (12/14/13) Benavidez was knocked out by Demetrious Johnson at 2:08 of the first round in a UFC flyweight title fight.
UFC Fight Night (9/4/13) Benavidez stopped Jussier Formiga via strikes at 3:07 of the first round
UFC on FOX (4/20/13) Benavidez stopped Darren Uyenoyama via strikes at 4:50 of the second round
UFC 156 (2/2/13) Benavidez won a three round unanimous decision over Ian McCall
UFC 152 (9/22/12) Benavidez lost a five round split decision to Demetrious Johnson in a UFC flyweight title fight.
UFC on FX (3/3/12) Benavidez stopped Yasuhiro Urushitani via strikes at :11 of the second round
UFC Live (8/14/11) Benavidez won a three round unanimous decision over Eddie Wineland
UFC 128 (3/19/11) Benavidez won a three round unanimous decision over Ian Loveland
WEC HISTORY
WEC 52 (11/11/10) Benavidez submitted Wagnney Fabiano via guillotine choke at 2:45 of the second round.
WEC 50 (8/18/10) Benavidez lost a five round split decision to WEC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz
WEC 47 (3/6/10) Benavidez submitted Miguel Angel Torres via guillotine choke at 2:57 of the second round.
WEC 45 (12/19/09) Benavidez stopped Rani Yahya via strikes at 1:35 of the first round.
WEC 42 (8/9/09) Benavidez lost a three round unanimous decision to Dominick Cruz.
WEC 40 (4/5/09) Benavidez scored a three round unanimous decision over Jeff Curran.
WEC 37 (12/3/08) Benavidez scored a three round unanimous decision over Danny Martinez.
Q&A
When and why did you start training for fighting? I took up wrestling in high school and even a year in college. That was great experience for fighting. When I was done with wrestling I coached a little and still wanted to compete. I thought I would be good at MMA. I began fighting in small shows in Las Cruces, New Mexico mainly for fun, competition and a little money. I started dedicating lots of time to this, and it was all I wanted to do. I told myself I have to find a way to only do this for a living. I knew it was possible and I believed in my talents. I moved out to California, started training with Urijah Faber and it’s gone just how I wanted it to. Now my motivation, besides the obvious, is to never have a real job again.
What ranks and titles have you held? None in MMA yet. State wrestling champion of New Mexico in 2000.
Do you have any heroes? My mom and grandma.
What is your favorite technique? The schoolyard push, double uppercut and anything that makes people say wow and my opponent go ow!
Did you go to college and if so what degree did you earn? I went to college for one year and did some wrestling.
What was your job before you started fighting? A Screenprinter at GSI graphic services in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
