Flyweight contender Joseph Benavidez will be taking on Ben Nguyen at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Hunt in Auckland, New Zealand.
Two-time UFC flyweight title challenger Joseph Benavidez has won six straight fights, but has been unable to land that elusive third crack at Demetrious Johnson. Benavidez will once again be in a non-title fight, this time against Ben Nguyen at UFC Auckland on June 10th (June 11th in New Zealand). UFC officials announced the matchup on Thursday.
Benavidez (25-4) is coming off an entertaining split decision win over Henry Cejudo on the TUF 24 Finale. The two men were head coaches on season 24 of the show and developed a heated rivalry. Benavidez also holds notable wins over Jussier Formiga, Tim Elliott, Ian McCall, and Dustin Ortiz, and is the #1 ranked contender in the 125 lbs division.
Nguyen (16-6) is #13 in the latest rankings, having bested Geane Herrera by unanimous decision at UFC Melbourne in November. His only loss inside the Octagon was by TKO to Louis Smolka at UFC Sioux Falls in July. Nguyen was a career bantamweight until he made his UFC debut in May 2015, at which point he marked his flyweight debut by knocking out Alptekin Ozkilic.
UFC Auckland is headlined by a heavyweight clash between Derrick Lewis and Mark Hunt. The night’s main card will air live from the Vector Arena on Fox Sports 1.
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