It was a hard night for Joseph Benavidez at UFC Norfolk last night.
The headline flyweight title fight got off to a bad start when Deiveson Figueiredo missed weight, leaving only Benavidez eligible to claim the strap. But the opportunity turned into another night of disappointment for the successful bantamweight and flyweight fighter, who appears cursed when it comes to earning a belt: despite a score of wins over his career, two-thirds of his losses have come during championship bouts.
“I feel like this isn’t real right now, that I’m in some freakin’ nightmare,” a disconsolate Benavidez said after the fight. “Everyone is going through ups and downs everywhere, this is mine, it’s on display. Lucky to be alive I guess, but I worked my ass off for that and it didn’t go great.”
As for Figueiredo, he says the weight miss was a one-time event, and he will earn the flyweight title on his next outing. ” I always got the weight I was supposed to get. This was the first time. It was really a cramp in my stomach. I really felt bad… Whoever the UFC puts me to fight, I’m going to fight. I just won my belt. The belt is mine. I just don’t hold it. I proved that.”
Complete UFC Norfolk Results
Main card
- Deiveson Figueiredo def. Joseph Benavidez via second-round TKO (1:54)
- Felicia Spencer def. Zarah Fairn dos Santos via first-round TKO (3:37)
- Magomed Ankalaev def. Ion Cutelaba via first-round TKO (0:38)
- Megan Anderson def. Norma Dumont Viana via first-round KO (3:31)
- Grant Dawson def. Darrick Minner via submission (RNC) (R2, 1:38)
Undercard
- Kyler Phillips def. Gabriel Silva via UD (30-27 x3)
- Brendan Allen def. Tom Breese via first-round TKO (4:47)
- Marcin Tybura def. Serghei Spivac via UD (30-27 x2, 29-28)
- Luis Pena def. Steve Garcia via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
- Jordan Griffin def. T.J. Brown via sub (guillotine) (R2, 3:38)
- Spike Carlyle def. Aalon Cruz via first-round TKO (1:25)
- Sean Brady def. Ismail Naurdiev via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
