Joseph Benavidez

Who is Joseph Benavidez?

Joseph Benavidez has accomplished the unthinkable by becoming one of the highest-paid fighters in the UFC today. Joseph Benavidez’s hard ethic and never-say-die mentality have propelled the Texas native thus far and will continue to do so.

Benavidez owns the record for most wins and knockouts in the UFC’s flyweight division and is ranked second in that division.

How did Joseph rise to prominence as a fighter? What is his success formula?

Is it difficult? Is it pure chance?

The following article addresses the above-listed concerns, as well as his net worth, salary, statistics, accomplishments, and family.

Before we dive into the deep end, let’s look at some quick statistics.

More Facts about Joseph Benavidez

Childhood and MMA Career

Joseph Benavidez’s MMA career began with Team Alpha Male, which is owned and controlled by Urijah Faber, one of the most well-known UFC fighters.

Faber decided to give Joseph a front desk job at his gym after he wowed the members and instructors at Urijah’s Roseville gym.

The Texan won his first bout with the squad by guillotine choke over Junya Kodo.

World Extreme Cagefighting swooped in and signed Benavidez as a result.

Joseph made his WEC debut at WEC 37 when he defeated Danny Martinez by unanimous decision.

After various ups and downs with the WEC, the 36-year-old was ultimately given a championship opportunity against then-bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz.

The fight was especially important to Benavidez because it was not just a title bout, but Cruz had defeated him by unanimous decision a year before.

Cruz vs. Benavidez

Joseph Benavidez had to show the world and himself that he was a worthy champion.

Unfortunately, the 35-year-old was defeated once more, this time by a split decision.

As a result, Benavidez was devastated because he had never lost to the same fighter twice.

Many observers thought Benavidez was a good fighter with a big heart, but not an outstanding one.

But, as it turned out, that was only the beginning for the self-proclaimed “Joey twice.”

The UFC Journey

In the world of MMA, a momentous incident occurred in 2010 that forever impacted Benavidez’s life.

World Extreme Cagefighting united with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in an unexpected turn of events.

As a result, all WEC fighters were now under UFC contract.

As a result, Benavidez was now competing for the world’s premier MMA promotion, UFC.

Following that, in his UFC debut, the Texas native defeated Ian Loveland via unanimous decision.

Following his breathtaking exploits, UFC president Dana White established a four-person tournament to crown the newly founded UFC Flyweight Championship, in which Benavidez would compete.

As a result, he won the first bout but was unable to defeat the god-given talent of Demetrious Johnson for the championship.

Nonetheless, Joseph bounced back, winning the following two fights before facing Jussier Formiga at UFC Fight Night 28.

During the first round of the fight, Benavidez knocked out Formiga with a powerful knee to the body that dropped Jussier to his knees.

Also, Benavidez followed that with a barrage of punches, resulting in the victory.

As a result, the UFC determined that a rematch between Joseph and Johnson would be the best fight for the championship.

The fight was originally slated to take place at The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale, but it was delayed to a later date.

The 36-year-old had never been stopped until his second fight with Johnson.

Demetrius knocked out the Texan native in the first round of the championship rematch.

Henry Cejudo vs. Joseph Benavidez

At this point, most of us would have given up or lost hope, but not Joseph.

In fact, he recovered and went on to win the next five fights with ease.

Henry Cejudo, an Olympic gold medallist at the time, had successfully converted from wrestling to MMA.

Cejudo has already established himself in the UFC as a serious contender for the flyweight championship.

Following that, the two-faced at The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale.

Both competitors landed some powerful punches and kicks throughout the bout.

They were unable to complete the task, therefore the judges were summoned to make a decision.

Benavidez won the bout by a split decision after a close fight.

Finally, the 36-year-old defeated one of the title’s top contenders. A feat that has previously evaded him.

Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Joseph Benavidez

Over the next two years, the Texas native re-established himself as the leading contender for the flyweight title.

And his efforts were rewarded when Dana White revealed that Benavidez would compete for the vacant UFC Flyweight Championship against Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Fight Night 169.

As a result, the event was held on February 29, 2020, at Chartway Arena in Virginia.

The bout, however, was not without controversy, since Figueiredo came in at 127.5 pounds, exceeding the weight limit.

If he won, the Brazilian MMA fighter would be ineligible to defend his flyweight title.

And, to Benavidez’s horror, that is exactly what happened.

Figueiredo landed a right hook plum in Joseph’s chin.

As a result, the 35-year-old fell to the ground, where Deiveson hammered the Texas native until the referee intervened and the fight was called off.

Joseph remarked after the bout that it was the most devastating loss of his MMA career.

Furthermore, Benavidez believed that this would be his last chance at the title.

The Texas native was understandably upset and unhappy with himself for his poor performance but resolved to return even stronger.

To summarize, Benavidez remains one of the finest flyweight fighters in the UFC in my opinion.

I believe the 35-year-old has one more championship run in his older physique. Let us all pray that I am correct for the sake of Joseph.

Career Highlights

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

• Night’s Knockout vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani
• Nightly Performance against. Tim Elliott, Alex Perez, and Jussier Formiga (Three instances)
• The most victories in the UFC Flyweight division (13 times, tied with Demetrious Johnson)
• The most knockout victories in the UFC Flyweight category ( 5 Times)

Extreme Cagefighting Around the World

• Dominick Cruz vs Fight of the Night
• Submission of the Night vs. Miguel Torres

Sherdog

• Second Team All-Violence in 2010

Joseph Benavidez’s age, height, and weight

Joseph Benavidez is currently 35 years old.

Although he appears to be too old to be a professional athlete, MMA fighters generally reach their peak shape in their mid-30s.

As a result, Joseph has another five years to fulfill his aim of becoming the UFC Flyweight Champion.

Joseph Benavidez’s height

The Texas native stood 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighed 125 pounds during his most recent fight.

The petite MMA fighter is extremely agile and quick on his feet.

Furthermore, Benavidez intended to outlast his opponents rather than knock them out.

It’s primarily because of his wrestling and jiu-jitsu training.

Joseph Benavidez’s Salary and Net Worth

At the time of writing, Benavidez’s net worth was projected to be more than $3 million, with MMA fights being the primary source.

It is a substantial sum of money, especially for MMA fighters who live paycheck to paycheck.

However, as the UFC’s number two ranked flyweight fighter, Benavidez more than justifies the price he is paid.

Furthermore, Joseph earned a whopping $250,000 for his most recent fight against Deiveson Figueiredo, including all promotional and fight-night bonuses.

Previously, the Texas native was paid a base salary of $48,000 plus bonuses.

However, after his outstanding accomplishments in 2018-19, the UFC chose to virtually quadruple Benavidez’s compensation to $84,000.

In addition, his career earnings to date total $831,000.

Background or Past for Joseph Benavidez

As talented as he is, Joseph Benavidez has had his share of difficulties.

Benavidez’s history is sometimes a taboo subject, but he has offered certain bits and pieces throughout the years.

To elaborate, Joseph comes from a family with a history of drinking or drug abuse.

Furthermore, as a child, he was accustomed to seeing individuals imprisoned and his family arrested.

He is also the first member of his family to avoid incarceration.

Later, while he and his brothers were competing in the UFC, they were arrested.

As a result, he had little support from them.

Joseph, like his family, struggled with drug and alcohol addiction during his high school years.

“I just knew I didn’t want to live that life anymore, and I didn’t necessarily think I was going to turn it around and be a fighter on the cover of magazines.” That’s precisely what happened as a result of my efforts to improve my life.”
-Benavidez, Joseph

He did, however, get his day in the spotlight. That is why he has come today!

Family and Lifestyle of Joseph Benavidez

You will be with a gorgeous woman if you can fight and have a lot of money.

That is the situation with Joseph Benavidez, the UFC’s second-ranked flyweight.

The Texas native is married to Megan Olivi, who works as a UFC host and reporter for Fox Sports.

The couple met in Las Vegas in the summer of 2009 and began dating in 2010.

However, four years later, in front of family and friends, the pair became engaged.

The couple married on October 9, 2015, at the JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort and Spa. As of now, the couple has yet to have a kid.

But I suppose the two are waiting for the right moment, which may be when Joseph retires from MMA.

Because Joseph is an MMA fighter, one could assume that his whole emphasis is on training and nothing else.

Benavidez, on the other hand, devotes a significant amount of time to fashion.

The Texas native is known for his unconventional dressing and is one of the best-dressed fighters in the UFC, alongside Conor Mcgregor.

Also read:             Kohei Uchimura,                 Sting,            Mack Horton

Presence on Social Media

145k followers on Instagram (@joejitsu).
Joe Jitsu MMA on Facebook has 36,000 followers.
151.9k followers on Twitter (@JoeJitsu).