Former number one WEC 135-pound contender, Joseph Benavidez, will take on the now-defunct promotion's first-ever division champion, Eddie Wineland, on the evening's televised main card.
Benevidez has strung together back-to-back wins since his split decision loss to UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz under the WEC banner in Aug. 2010.
He submitted Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Wagnney Fabiano three months later and followed that performance up by outpointing Ian Loveland on all three judges scorecards at UFC 128: "Shogun vs. Jones" earlier this year.
The Team Alpha Male-trained fighter is protege of Urijah Faber, who most recently scored a unanimous decision over Wineland at the aforementioned UFC 128.
Is it time for a lil' payback?
Wineland was brought in to showcase the skills of the "California Kid" to the UFC audience for the first time ever. But the Portage, Ind., native had different plans, putting up a tough fight and making Faber earn a hard-fought, three-round decision.
The loss snapped Wineland's four-fight win streak, which dated back to Oct. 2009. During the span he scored highlight-reel finishes over Ken Stone (slam) and Will Campuzano (liver punch).
Adding Benavidez to that hitlist this fall would be satisfying on several levels.
UFC on Versus 5 will feature a bevy of marquee match ups, including Dan Hardy vs. Chris Lytle in the main event of the evening, as well as Jim Miller vs. Ben Henderson and Stephan Bonnar vs. Karlos Vemola.
No comments:
Post a Comment