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UFC Fight Night 82 Results: Joseph Benavidez Remains Top Flyweight Without a Belt

UFC Fight Night 82 Results: Joseph Benavidez Remains Top Flyweight Without a Belt

Joseph Benavidez and Zach Makovsky stepped into the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 82: Hendricks vs. Thompson on Saturday night in Las Vegas each looking to state his case for flyweight title contention.

The perennial No. 1 ranked 125-pounder in the UFC, Benavidez has a tough road to another title shot, as he has twice lost to current champion Demetrious Johnson. Even though he bested Makovsky, that road got a little rougher, as the UFC announced during Saturday night’s broadcast that Johnson’s next defense would be against undefeated Olympic Gold Medal wrestler Henry Cejudo.

Benavidez, however, remains on the cusp of another shot at the belt, as he dominated most of the fight against Makovsky.

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While both are southpaws, they’re approaches to the fight couldn’t have been more different.

Makovsky was flat footed and constantly looking for the takedown, while Benavidez was a ball of movement. He was light on his feet all night, consistently darting in and out and side to side, all the while shifting between southpaw and orthodox stance.

Makovsky’s timing allowed him to score several takedowns in the first and second rounds, but was never able to keep Benavidez down or amass any damage.

Meanwhile, Benavidez was constantly peppering Makovsky with punch combinations, often mixing in knees to the body and chin and landing the occasional elbow strike.

By the third round, Benavidez was stuffing all of Makovsky’s takedown attempts and landing some stiffer punches and knees. Just before the final horn, he landed an elbow that put Makovsky on his backside, but there was no time left to try and finish the fight.

Although he won’t get another title shot any time soon, Benavidez continued to cement his position as the best UFC flyweight without a belt, winning a unanimous decision from the judges.

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