Joseph Benavidez
October’s UFC 192 event has two new additions, one of which could have title implications.
They include flyweights Joseph Benavidez (22-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) vs. Ali Bagautinov (13-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) and strawweights Rose Namajunas (2-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) vs. Angela Hill (2-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC).
UFC officials today announced the bouts via the Houston Chronicle.
UFC 192 takes place Oct. 3 at Houston’s Toyota Center. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.
Benavidez, who’s ranked No. 3 in the NOS Energy Drink MMA flyweight rankings, has won three straight fights since his 2013 title loss to champ Demetrious Johnson. Most recently, the 31-year-old Team Alpha Male fighter, who had been briefly linked to a potential bout with Henry Cejudo, earned a decision win over John Moraga.
He now meets No. 5-ranked Bagautinov, who fights for the first time his own defeat to Johnson. Prior to the June 2014 title loss, the 30-year-old pushed his winning streak to 11 with UFC victories over Marcos Vinicius, Tim Elliott and John Lineker. He’s been on the sidelines for the past year due to a failed drug test (erythropoietin) and suspension after the Johnson fight.
Namajunas, meanwhile, is a runner-up from “The Ultimate Fighter 20” who’s in a must-win situation. The 23-year-old suffered a “TUF 20” tourney-final loss to Carla Esparza, which followed an Invicta FC loss to Tecia Torres prior to the reality show.
She meets Hill, a “TUF 20” castmate who was bounced from the tourney in the opening round by eventual show champ Esparza. The 27-year-old defeated Emily Kagan on the undercard of the live finale but recently dropped a decision to Torres in her most recent outing.
The UFC 192 lineup now includes:
- Champ Daniel Cormier vs. Alexander Gustafsson – for light heavyweight title
- Ryan Bader vs. Rashad Evans
- Johny Hendricks vs. Tyron Woodley
- Jessica Eye vs. Julianna Pena
- Ali Bagautinov vs. Joseph Benavidez
- Angela Hill vs. Rose Namajunas
- Shawn Jordan vs. Ruslan Magomedov
- Daniel Hooker vs. Yair Rodriguez
- Chris Cariaso vs. Sergio Pettis
- Alan Jouban vs. Albert Tumenov
- Anthony Hamilton vs. Derrick Lewis
For more on UFC 192, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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