Ever See A UFC Fighter Score 2 TKOs In One Fight?
Thanks to an outrageous moment of hesitation from referee Yves Lavigne last night, now you can!
In an exciting Flyweight contest shoved way further into the prelims than it ever should’ve been (like all exciting Flyweight contests), Joseph Benavidez scored his first two TKO victories since 2014 over fellow contender Alex Perez. Benavidez looked sharp from the start and pretty much ran through Alex Perez, leading to this ref-botch, but essentially, here’s what happened:
-Joe B laying on ground-and-pound
-Ref stops fight
-Joe B stops fighting
-Alex Perez shoots single-leg
-Joe B looks back at referee Yves Lavigne with heartbreak in his eyes
-Fight is just miraculously back on
I’ve never seen anything like it. Luckily, Benavidez is a pro and wound up finishing Perez again shortly after this blunder, but could you imagine if he hadn’t? I mean…yikes Yves Lavigne.
After both wins, Joe got on the mic, and as our friend Aaron Bronsteter put it here…
…was very economical with his time on the microphone. He forgave Yves, called out the winner of Cejudo/Dillashaw (Cejudo who he’s got a win over, Dillashaw who you could build the former teammate storyline around), and pleaded his case for the division sticking around like he was Jordan freakin’ Belfort.
Wild night for Benavidez, but a good one for sure, putting him next in line for a Flyweight Championship opportunity so long as the division stays around.
Congrats on the win, Joe!