#UFCFightNight #BenavidezVSFigueiredo #AndNew #FlyweightChampion
A new UFC flyweight champion was crowned Saturday night on Fight Island, as Deiveson Figueiredo scored his second consecutive finish of Joseph Benavidez, and this time there was no controversy, as the Brazilian scored three knockdowns of the perennial contender before submitting him in the first round.
The bout was a rematch of a February bout won by Figueiredo, but he was ineligible to win the title vacated by Henry Cejudo because he didn’t make weight. Add in controversy surrounding Figueiredo’s second-round stoppage win due to an earlier clash of heads, and a rematch was a natural. But while the first bout was competitive, this one was a devastating display of power by “Deus da Guerra.”
After a brief feeling out process, Figueriedo drilled Benavidez with a right hand that put the New Mexico native on the canvas. It looked like the fight was over, but Benavidez weathered the storm and got out of a number of rear naked choke attempts from the Brazilian. Midway through the round, Benavidez got off the mat and went back to work, his head apparently clear. With 90 seconds left, Benavidez was knocked down a second time but he bounced back to his feet, ready to jump back into the fray. But after a third knockdown, Figueiredo would not be denied, and this time, the rear naked choke ended the fight, with the official time of referee Marc Goddard’s stoppage 4:48 of round one.
With the win, Figueiredo moves to 19-1. Benavidez falls to 28-7.
