The best and worst from UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos

#1 Worst: The Cejudo conundrum

Joseph Benavidez earned a title shot last night with his win over Jussier Formiga, but will he get it?

The co-main event last night between Joseph Benavidez and Jussier Formiga might’ve been my favorite fight on offer, and it ended in pretty wild fashion too, as Benavidez was able to find his range and stun the Brazilian with a head kick before finishing him with a barrage of punches. Benavidez – who now physically resembles a tiny Frank Shamrock – looked awesome and has clearly earned a Flyweight title shot. So why am I talking about him in the ‘worst’ section?

Well, because we just don’t know what’s going on with the UFC Flyweight title right now. Current champion Henry Cejudo is coming off surgery and won’t be around until 2020 most likely which is fine, but he also holds the UFC Bantamweight title – so which one will he choose to defend first? Benavidez, in all honesty, is the most deserving challenger across both divisions, but then there’s a strong case for Aljamain Sterling having earned a shot at 135lbs, too.

The problem is that Cejudo seems to be calling out largely irrelevant fighters like Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber, and due to their bigger name value, there’s every chance the UFC does book something like Cejudo vs. Cruz in early 2020. Which would hold up both divisions badly and be totally unfair to someone as deserving as Benavidez.

I hate to say this, but last night’s Benavidez/Formiga fight probably should’ve been for an interim Flyweight title; it was the least a knockout like the one delivered by Benavidez deserved.