The Film Room: Joseph Benavidez
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One of the greatest flyweights of all-time will return to the Octagon for the 18th time when Joseph Benavidez takes on Jussier Formiga in the UFC on ESPN 3 co-headliner on Saturday at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Now 34, the San Antonio, Texas, native seeks to nail down another shot at 125-pound gold.
Benavidez supplies the material for this installment of The Film
Room.
At other times, Benavidez will patiently come in with a quick combo before resetting at a safe distance. In his first fight with Dustin Ortiz, he mainly blitzed forward but kept him guessing by mixing in brief moments of quick combos and resetting. Against Henry Cejudo, one of the few flyweights with true knockout power, Benavidez was smart enough to not risk getting knocked out and spent the majority of the fight on the outside picking apart the Olympic gold medalist with single right hands and counters.
Benavidez also attacks the body more often than most, which shows his intelligence as a fighter. Working the body has never picked up in MMA, and it is always nice to see someone realize its importance. If you only head hunt, the opponent will pick up the tendency and only guard his head. However, when you can mix up your attacks from head to toe, the opponent does not know what to guard in each exchange, which opens up his defense and gives you more open targets.
Benavidez can be just as effective on the counter as he is on the lead. Against Cejudo, he was more patient than ever before and routinely landed a counter right straight down the middle and counter lead hooks as he exited the pocket. Formiga is a rather patient striker and usually works on the counter, so do not expect to see many counters from Benavidez in this fight. With that said, Formiga will get aggressive on the feet when looking for the clinch, so watch for some counters when he ducks under in those situations.
Benavidez is primarily a striker, but we have seen him win fights on the ground in the past. In his most recent fight with Ortiz, Benavidez landed seven of his 12 takedowns, and although he did not do much once the fight hit the ground, he showed that he can easily control opponents when needed. Formiga is known for his jiu-jitsu, so no one anticipates Benavidez shooting for takedowns, even though he has relied on his grappling in the past when he fails to get the job done on the feet. Benavidez only has one submission victory in the UFC, but six of his first nine wins were via submission. Do not be surprised if the grappling exchanges are closer than expected in this fight.
One of the greatest flyweights of all-time will return to the Octagon for the 18th time when Joseph Benavidez takes on Jussier Formiga in the UFC on ESPN 3 co-headliner on Saturday at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Now 34, the San Antonio, Texas, native seeks to nail down another shot at 125-pound gold.
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Benavidez was one of the early pioneers for the smaller weight
classes and remains one of the sport’s most well-rounded
competitors. On the lead, Benavidez is an interesting study because
he seems to constantly change his approach with every fight and
sometimes during a fight. He has been known to move forward
recklessly with combos and with little regard for defense.
Oftentimes, he will cross his feet while throwing multiple hooks to
the head to drive the opponent to the cage and generally ends his
combos with a kick. Also, he uses a variety of strikes during these
blitzes. Instead of just throwing wild hooks to the head, he mixes
in straight punches to the body, leg kicks and the occasional
overhand right. Generally rushing forward like this is not advised,
but since most flyweights do not possess one-punch knockout power,
he can risk blitzing forward without having to worry as much about
paying the price.
At other times, Benavidez will patiently come in with a quick combo before resetting at a safe distance. In his first fight with Dustin Ortiz, he mainly blitzed forward but kept him guessing by mixing in brief moments of quick combos and resetting. Against Henry Cejudo, one of the few flyweights with true knockout power, Benavidez was smart enough to not risk getting knocked out and spent the majority of the fight on the outside picking apart the Olympic gold medalist with single right hands and counters.
Benavidez also attacks the body more often than most, which shows his intelligence as a fighter. Working the body has never picked up in MMA, and it is always nice to see someone realize its importance. If you only head hunt, the opponent will pick up the tendency and only guard his head. However, when you can mix up your attacks from head to toe, the opponent does not know what to guard in each exchange, which opens up his defense and gives you more open targets.
Benavidez can be just as effective on the counter as he is on the lead. Against Cejudo, he was more patient than ever before and routinely landed a counter right straight down the middle and counter lead hooks as he exited the pocket. Formiga is a rather patient striker and usually works on the counter, so do not expect to see many counters from Benavidez in this fight. With that said, Formiga will get aggressive on the feet when looking for the clinch, so watch for some counters when he ducks under in those situations.
Benavidez is primarily a striker, but we have seen him win fights on the ground in the past. In his most recent fight with Ortiz, Benavidez landed seven of his 12 takedowns, and although he did not do much once the fight hit the ground, he showed that he can easily control opponents when needed. Formiga is known for his jiu-jitsu, so no one anticipates Benavidez shooting for takedowns, even though he has relied on his grappling in the past when he fails to get the job done on the feet. Benavidez only has one submission victory in the UFC, but six of his first nine wins were via submission. Do not be surprised if the grappling exchanges are closer than expected in this fight.
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