When the UFC announced it was expanding to open up a 125-pound division, Joseph Benavidez believed that, campaigning at his natural weight for the first time, nothing could stop him from becoming a champion. His only two career losses at that stage were to Dominick Cruz , but moving down a division meant that the 28-year-old would never again have to deal with opponents possessing the same sort of height and reach as the undisputed 135-pound king. Benavidez dispensed with Yasuhiro Urushitani in the opening round of the four-man UFC flyweight tournament only to be outpointed by Demetrious Johnson in the final. The fight was sufficiently close to have ended in a split decision, but it is a setback that is still fresh in his memory. “I think about it a lot (because) that was something I counted on for a long time, that once they start the flyweight division I was going to be the champion automatically,” he said.
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Joseph Benavidez Happy Biding His Time Before UFC Title Shot Number Two – MMA Weekly