Joseph Benavidez knows his championship aspirations won’t come to fruition – but he’s not willing to go out like he did at UFC on ESPN+ 30.
At the post-fight news conference following his first-round submission loss to Deiveson Figueiredo, an emotional Benavidez (28-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) took to the podium to field questions from reporters. Breaking down several times during his answers, Benavidez gave insight on the emotions that come with a fourth UFC title shot loss.
“I’ve died freaking 100 times,” Benavidez told MMA Junkie. “What’s another death? It’s different because I know I did everything right in preparation. I didn’t take any shortcuts. I did everything right. … I felt good in there, honestly. I felt focused and present even with the no crowd. Fights go fast but I could see little movements felt focused.”
Despite the loss, Benavidez explained there’s a lot that he’s appreciative of. From his wife to his corners to being able to fight for a career, Benavidez ran through some of the positive aspects of his life....
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Emotional Joseph Benavidez knows he had his last UFC title shot, but won't retire yet
Joseph Benavidez has seemingly come to terms with the idea of never becoming UFC champion – but he’s not done fighting yet.
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