UFC 156: February 2, 2013 Las Vegas, Nevada UFC Flyweight Contender Joseph Benavidez (-275) Profile: Joseph Benavidez (16-3) is 6-2 in his last eight fights and coming off a split decision loss to flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson for the title at UFC 152. He is 3-1 in the UFC and earned Knockout of the Night honors in his flyweight semifinal win over Yasuhiro Urushitani at UFC on FX 2. The 27-year-old southpaw started training with UFC bantamweight contender Urijah Faber’s Team Alpha Male in 2007 and has previously defeated the likes of Eddie Wineland and Ian Loveland in the UFC along with Miguel Angel Torres and Jeff Curran in the WEC. His only other two career losses have come against bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz in the WEC. UFC Flyweight Contender Ian McCall (+215) Profile: Fan favorite and an all-around outgoing personality in MMA, Ian McCall (11-3-1) has had a difficult run in the UFC. His debut took place against eventual champion Demetrious Johnson in the semifinals of the UFC’s first-ever flyweight tournament. Their first fight was extremely high energy, and momentum swung back and forth for both fighters. In the closing seconds, “Uncle Creepy” looked to have Johnson defeated on the mat, reigning down blows to Johnson’s head while celebrating in-between strikes. Those celebrations may have cost McCall the match, as Johnson was not finished, and the fight was declared a draw. Even though the bout was awarded Fight of the Night honors, McCall would face Johnson again in a second fight on FX three months later, only to fall via unanimous decision. Now, he finds himself still looking to earn his first win in the organization and will get that opportunity against a very tough opponent in Benavidez. Opening UFC 156 Odds Analysis: MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas has made Benavidez a solid -275 favorite (bet $275 to win $100) against McCall, who opened as a +215 underdog (bet $100 to win $215) according to the MMA odds. Benavidez opened as a similar favorite (-280) against Johnson in their title fight at UFC 152 favorite and was a major disappointment. He was viewed as the class of the flyweight division and will need to be much sharper here against McCall, who like Johnson also has the potential to pull off the upset if he can stay focused and fight hard until the final bell. McCall wants to be treated like a serious contender for the belt but needs a UFC win first. This is his perfect chance, and he has proven in the past that he can beat a higher-ranked opponent after previously defeating Top 5 flyweight Jussier Formiga two years ago as an underdog. Benavidez looks to have an advantage with his training as a member of Team Alpha Male, but he too must prove himself in this spot against McCall if he is going to earn a rematch with Johnson for the title.
