A new UFC Flyweight Champion may be decided on July 18 as Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Joseph Benavidez II is set for the special event.
Originally, the flyweight belt between Figueiredo and Benavidez took place at UFC Fight Night 169; however, Figueiredo missed weight, thus making him ineligible to win the prestigious belt. The Brazilian managed to beat Benavidez thus the 125-pound belt remained vacant.
Figueiredo is currently in the midst of a three-fight winning streak, in addition to beating Benavidez, Alexandre Pantoja (via unanimous decision at UFC 240) and Tim Elliott (via submission at UFC Fight Night 161) had suffered losses to the 32-year-old. Figueiredo’s professional record currently stands at 18 wins and 1 loss.
Prior to his loss to Figueiredo, Benavidez was on a three-fight winning streak by beating Alex Perez (via TKO at The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters Finale), Dustin Ortiz (via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 143), and Jussier Formiga (via TKO at UFC on ESPN 3). The flyweight has only lost two bouts in his last five, with the other defeat being against Sergio Pettis at UFC 225. Benavidez’s professional record currently stands at 28 wins and 6 losses.
The yet to be announced UFC card takes place on Saturday, July 18 with a location and main event set to be confirmed very soon.