Joseph Benavidez knows it will be hard to get another crack at the UFC flyweight championship, but he hasn’t entirely lost hope.
Benavidez (28-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC), a five-time title challenger, fell short in back-to-back title fights as he suffered consecutive defeats to Deiveson Figueiredo, most recently in July.
Both a staple in the 125-pound division and pioneer in the lower weight classes, Benavidez has stacked up an impressive resume, which includes wins over former UFC dual champion Henry Cejudo, current title challenger Alex Perez, and Jussier Formiga twice.
Benavidez is no stranger to rebounding from a setback, amassing numerous impressive winning streaks throughout his career that have allowed him to continuously re-position himself in title contention.
But Benavidez admits that, after suffering two straight stoppage losses to Figueiredo in championship fights, the chances of getting another title shot are slim. He’s targeting a return in February and moving forward, he’s only concerned with enjoying his time left competing and letting everything fall into place naturally.
“It’s a tough thing because I do wake up every day knowing I’m good enough to be a world champion, and I could be,” Benavidez told MMA Junkie Radio. “But at the same time, that part of me has been kinda like, ‘Oh (expletive), well that was probably my last title fight ever.’”
He continued, “As far as fitting in, I don’t see a special part in there. I’ll always still be the longest reigning guy and the person who was in the first UFC title fight and first flyweight fight in general. But other than that, it’s just going out there and having fun and competing. That’s my place. It’s just actually being an athlete and doing that.”
In a sport that’s constantly shifting, Benavidez is aware that if he stays ready and keeps his position in the top of the rankings, another title opportunity could emerge. But for now, the perennial contender is just looking to live in the moment.
“I’ll wake up and go into that whatever fight I may have thinking, ‘Hey, I’m the best in the world,’” Benavidez said. “I’m just gonna show it on this guy whether he’s No. 4 or No. 3 or whatever. I still feel like I’m the best in the world. I’m gonna go in with that every day. I’m gonna train every day with that notion and that confidence in my mind, but the belt is just something that I felt dammit, that was my last time when I got to do it.
“But there is some weird stuff happening when it comes to that. We’ll see how it goes, but other than that, I just enjoy the life part of it, and now fighting is part of my life. It’s not my total, total life, so it’s like ‘Hey, I’ll do all this and when the fight comes, I’ll concentrate on that and do it.’ But like I said, that part is always there, waking up and knowing here’s another chance to prove I’m the best, even if it’s not for the belt exactly. I’ll always go into a fight like that, but I just don’t know if that’s there yet, but you never know.”