Joseph Benavidez Says He’s Hoping For a Title Fight After UFC on ESPN+ 1 Win

Joseph Benavidez spoke with MMAjunkie following his win over Dustin Ortiz at UFC on ESPN+ 1. Highlights are below:

On his hopes for a flyweight title shot: “That’s what I’m here for since the beginning, since the original four – we fought in Australia, and I fought ‘DJ’ (Demetrious Johnson) for the inaugural title. He went on to become the longest-reigning title guy ever. I’m still here calling for the title. I have a win over the champion…The mission has been the same the whole time, since it started, since I laid the groundwork for the division: to be the best in it. So that’s obviously what I want next.”

On a fight with Henry Cejudo: “I’ve been at the top of the division,” Benavidez said. “How many times can I answer? How am I even supposed to? You go out there, you fight, you do your thing, these guys fight (for the title). I’m not fighting (for the title). I’m not making decisions. I’ve been here since the beginning, since flyweights stepped foot in here. I’ve been a fan of every flyweight since. We finally have new life, a new champion – dude’s an Olympic champion. We have superfights, we’re headlining (cards), there are hundreds, thousands of kids out there trying to be the flyweight champion of the UFC right now. It would be crazy to get rid of something like that not knowing what the future holds, because this is the first real sign of the future in the history of the weight class.”