November 23, 2024

Joseph Benavidez rebooked against Alex Perez at TUF 28 Finale

Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

Joseph Benavidez didn’t waste time getting a replacement fight.

The perennial flyweight contender will fight Alex Perez at the TUF 28 Finale on Nov. 30 in Las Vegas, UFC officials confirmed Friday with MMA Fighting. MMAjunkie was the first to report the news. Benavidez was supposed to fight Ray Borg at UFC Denver on Saturday night, but Borg withdrew due to injury earlier this week. Benavidez vs. Perez will be contested at flyweight.

Benavidez (25-5) is coming off a very close split decision loss to Sergio Pettis at UFC 225 back in June. The Las Vegas resident was on a six-fight winning streak heading into that bout, his first after knee surgery. Benavidez, 34, owns a win over current UFC flyweight champion Henry Cejudo.

Perez (21-4) is 3-0 since joining the UFC last year. The California native most recently defeatedJose Torres via first-round knockout at UF 227 in August. Perez, 26, is on an eight-fight winning streak overall and considered a prospect in the 125-pound division.

The TUF 28 Finale is headlined by a welterweight fight between Kamaru Usman and Rafael dos Anjos. Also on the card, Bryan Caraway meets Pedro Munhoz in a bantamweight bout and Antonina Shevchenko makes her UFC debut against Ji Yeon Kim at women’s flyweight.

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