Dana White discusses potential Joseph Benavidez title shot

Last night, in the co-main event of UFC Minneapolis, Joseph Benavidez crushed Jussier “Formiga” Da Silva with a head-kick, instantly asserting himself as the top contender in the UFC flyweight division.

The problem for Benavidez, of course, is that the long-struggling flyweight division is currently ruled by Henry Cejudo, who is also the bantamweight champion, and is currently recovering from surgery.

Speaking post-fight, Joseph Benavidez claimed that he is willing to wait for a flyweight title shot opposite Henry Cejudo, who has beaten previously.

“I’d hold out,” Benavidez said (via MMA Junkie). “I mean, he’s in surgery. I’ve sat out months before. I’ve had ACL surgery 18 months. I’ve gone in between fights active 10 months. That was just for a fight because there (weren’t) opponents. In this case, the opponent I want, there’s a huge prize there and it’s the fight to make. What? I gotta wait four or five months I think he said until he can fight. That’s nothing.”

According to UFC President Dana White, things might not pan out well for Joseph Benavidez. He reminded that Henry Cejudo allegedly intends to defend the bantamweight title before returning to the flyweight division.

“It’s definitely not good for Benavidez,” White said. “He’s going to be in this waiting period, but I know that (Cejudo) came out and said he wants to defend that belt first. So Benavidez looked good tonight. He got busted up in that first round. He got two really bad cuts in really bad places. He didn’t let it get to his head, and didn’t let it throw his game off. Landed that nice head kick.

“Benavidez has been a guy that’s been in this company for a very long time. He’s a hard-working guy, tows the line, does whatever he needs to do. It’s good to see him win tonight against a really tough opponent and get into the position he’s in.”

Do you want to see a flyweight title fight between Joseph Benavidez and Henry Cejudo?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 6/30/2019.