I helgen förlorade Joseph Benavidez (19-4) för andra gången mot UFC:s regerande flugviktsmästare Demetrious Johnson (19-2-1). Första gången kom förlusten via ett oenigt domslut. I helgen fick Benavidez ljuset släckt när han knockades efter ungefär två minuter in i matchen. Förlusten var första gången som Benavidez blivit stoppad av sin motståndare.
Benavidez ser en tredje match mot Johnson i framtiden.
– (Deserving another title shot is) a hard thing to prove at this moment, losing to the guy twice, säger Benavidez till MMAjunkie. But my life has prepared me for this. That was a good statement by (Johnson), but I don’t know if that’s going to make it any easier. I obviously want to fight for the title, and I want to fight Demetrious again, win or lose for him. All I can do is take it one day at a time and one fight at a time, and beat up as many people as I can. And if I deserve it, they’ll give it to me.
Benvidez har redan börjat återhämta sig fysiskt från förlusten men den psykologiska återhämtningen kommer förmodligen ta längre tid för den talangfulle flugviktaren.
– I’m just confused about what happened. Most of all, I feel like I was (ripped off) from a good fight. I didn’t get to perform my best and fight the best guy in the world in front of millions of people. They don’t know how I could have performed. I know I was going to have a great performance. That stuff doesn’t happen every day, and that’s what you dream about (fighting) on FOX. That’s the crappy part. A loss is a loss. Winning the world title would’ve been awesome. Fighting ‘Mighty Mouse’ and just competing in there was fun, säger Benavidez. The losses happen, but there’s nothing to learn from it. I know to not get hit in the face. There’s nothing to take away from it.
– Life, no matter what, is a long road with obstacles to bounce back from, säger Benavidez. Some are worse, some are easier, but that’s what life’s all about. I was against the best in the world (Saturday) night, and in between I got caught with a punch I didn’t see coming. What else do you do? You just stay positive. That’s the only thing this fight tried to do to me.
Efter UFC on FOX 9 fick Benavidez en medicinsk avstängning i 60 dagar i avvaktan på hjärnröntgen och full neurologisk bedömning. Han blev även avstängd i minst 45 dagar utan kontakt i 30 dagar. Han har med andra ord en del tid att fundera på framtiden och hur han ska ta sig tillbaka till att få möjligheten att ännu en gång utmana om titeln i UFC.
