UFC Fight Island: Figueiredo vs Benavidez betting tips

Figueiredo vs Benavidez UFC betting preview

There has not been a title fight for the UFC Flyweight Championship since Henry Cejudo defended his belt against T.J. Dillashaw in January of 2019. That all changes this weekend on UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi as Deiveson Figueiredo (18-1) and Joseph Benavidez (28-6) clash to see who will become the third champion in the division’s history.

Figueiredo (18-1) would likely already be the flyweight champion if he had made weight the first time these two men fought back in February. The Brazilian looked sharp in picking up his third straight win in the UFC with a TKO victory over Benavidez. With 15 of his 18 professional wins coming by way of knockout or submission, Figueiredo has an impressive  knack for taking the fight into his own hands and not leaving it up to the judges.

Benavidez (28-6) entered his last fight against Figueiredo as the favorite with three straight wins and a 9-1 record over his last 10 fights. But instead of finally becoming flyweight champion after nearly a decade in Demetrious Johnson’s shadow, the fight would end up not counting for the championship and would deliver a decisive loss to Figueiredo. With only five months between this fight and the last one, can we expect a different results this time around?

It’s possible. We saw Max Holloway look considerably sharper in his rematch against Alexander Volkanovski here on Fight Island than he did the first time they fought. Maybe Benavidez and his team were able to draw up a way to counter against Figueiredo’s dangerous and versatile attack. Maybe the title actually being on the line this time causes Benavidez to dig deeper and find a better effort.

But then again, maybe not. Figueiredo was so dominant in the first fight against Benavidez, bullying him and controlling the tempo from start to finish. It’s hard to look past those visuals when handicapping this fight. The price is a bit steep given the caliber of fighter that Benevidez is, but it’s hard to argue with bettors placing their money on the stronger and more aggressive favorite in this one.