UFC Fight Night 172 or UFC on ESPN+ 30 features the match between Deiveson Figueiredo and Joseph Benavidez, which will decide who is the next flyweight champion in the UFC division. Henry Cejudo retired, leaving two thrones vacant, this one and the bantamweight. We saw Petr Yan demolishing Jose Aldo and grabbing the belt of the latter one, and it is time to see who succeeds him here. By the way, these two guys met in late February, with Figueiredo knocking out his rival, but not getting the belt. He missed weight for 2.7 pounds.
Preview
Figueiredo has only one loss, and 18 wins so far, with that sole defeat coming from Jussier Formiga in March 2019. After that, he went on a three-fight winning streak beating Alexandre Pantoja, Tim Elliott, and Benavidez. The one thing which could make some problems for him was the travel to Abu Dhabi.
Figueiredo was tested positive for COVID-19 last week, just before his trip to Fight Island. He had the virus two months ago, but recovered from it pretty fast and without any problems. The Brazilian’s symptoms were weak, and he didn’t have to go through any of the complicated medical procedures at the time.
Yet, the second test showed that he is ok, and he was given the green light to fly to the UAE. But it definitely disrupted his plans and training schedule, which might be a problem. Other than that, he stated that this time there wouldn’t be any problems with the weight.
Benavidez is a guy who is among the top flyweight fighters since the start of the previous decade. He had three title shots, and failed to use any of them. Twice he suffered a defeat against Demetrious Johnson, the first time via split decision and the next after a KO. Then Figueiredo defeated him, but luckily, that one didn’t have any consequences.
Overall, Benavidez has 28 wins and 6 losses. Some of his triumphs came against guys who are legends, like, for example, Henry Cejudo. On two occasions, he also defeated Jussier Formiga, the above-mentioned guy who inflicted the lone loss to Figueiredo.
The American is a fighter who knows how to handle things in the octagon, and often goes to the distance. But on the other side, his wins are almost equally dispersed, 8 by KO, 9 via submission, and 11 after a decision.
Head to Head Matches
Figueiredo defeated Benavidez as we said via TKO with 1:54 inside the second round at the UFC Fight Night: Benavidez vs. Figueiredo held on February 29. Figueiredo didn’t receive the full amount of money he was supposed to due to his weight miss.
It was a very good match with both fighters getting at one another with a full arsenal. One moment of recklessness cost Benavidez a lot. It was then when Figueiredo gained momentum and finished this one.
Prediction
Benavidez is our choice, because he wasn’t supposed to lose the first fight either. Also, lately, he’s been pretty solid, and even though Figueiredo has a terrific record, we simply can’t believe that the American won’t use his fourth title shot. It would be an odd thing to see.
Also, the recent problems Figueiredo had also affected not to bet on him. One week before the fight, the participants are very sensitive, and some small thing might throw them off balance. The odds are BetXChange for Benavidez’s win is currently at 1.60
