- The third of the
UFC 's four "Fight Island " cards may have had a main event which lasted less than a round, but it was a round that contained "pure violence" according to the UFC boss Dana White. Deiveson Figueiredo became the UFC flyweight champion after a one-sided submission victory over the MMA venteranJoseph Benavidez .- Figueiredo's dominance is underlined by his 40 strikes landed from 45 thrown, three knockdowns, and four submission attempts.
- Benavidez cried after his first round loss. "I've died freaking 100 times, what's another death," he told the press at the post-fight conference.
- Watch some of the highlights below.
FIGHT ISLAND — Deiveson Figueiredo was so dominant in his flyweight championship win over Joseph Benavidez that the UFC boss Dana White called it "pure violence" at the post-fight press conference Sunday.
Benavidez, now a four-time title challenger, has been one of the top competitors in the 125-pound weight class for more than a decade.
His rematch against Figueiredo was his last shot at glory, but Figueiredo ensured there would be no Hollywood ending to the American's career.
"I've died freaking 100 times, what's another death," Benavidez said, before crying in the media tent adjacent to the behind-closed doors Flash Forum in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
Figueiredo finished Benavidez's title hopes with one brutal, merciless round. It included 40 strikes landed from 45 thrown, three knockdowns, and four submission attempts.
The Brazilian battered and bloodied Benavidez, before getting a final submission attempt locked in — a rear-naked choke which Benavidez did not tap to, and instead was put to sleep.
With Benavidez unconscious, Figueiredo celebrated. The 32-year-old had just returned one of the most one-sided, single-round championship victories ever seen in the modern UFC era.
Watch one of Figueiredo's knockdowns here:
—ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 19, 2020
Watch the submission here:
—UFC (@ufc) July 19, 2020
Or here if you're in a different region:
—UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) July 19, 2020
"I've been saying all week I was going to finish this fight in the first round and I also wanted to put that first submission loss on his record, so I finished him in the first round and that's exactly what happened," said Figueiredo, who advanced his pro MMA record to 19 wins (nine knockouts, seven submissions, and three decisions) against one loss.
"I said I was going to break Benavidez … he didn't surprise me at all tonight, I actually thought he was a little bit slower than in the last fight," he added.
"I'm available for whoever the UFC wants to put in front of me, anyone at my level, but you have to be at my level because I'm a knockout artist, I'm going to knock you out," Figueiredo finished.
Jack Hermansson defeated Kelvin Gastelum with a heel hook after 88 seconds of the first round in the co-main event.
The "UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2" show was the third of the UFC's four "Fight Island" events this month.
The fourth and final event for this edition of "Fight Island" starts Saturday, July 25.
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