A perennial contender throughout his entire career, Joseph Benavidez knew it was time to walk away when he thought a UFC title was no longer in reach. A multiple-time title challenger, Benavidez (28-8 MMA, 19-7 UFC) came close to wrapping UFC gold around his waist on numerous occasions but fell short each time. However, the flyweight pioneer was able to continuously compete at the highest level by eliminating one top contender after another. But after back-to-back title fight losses to Deiveson Figueiredo, Benavidez wanted to test himself against the division’s elite one more time to see where he stood. He dropped a unanimous decision to Askar Askarov at UFC 259 in March, and the decision to hang up his gloves came shortly after – even though the public learned about it just a week ago.
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