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Joseph Benavidez believes win over Jussier Formiga means Henry Cejudo will be next

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Perennial top flyweight contender Joseph Benavidez feels two-division champion Henry Cejudo’s next fight should be at flyweight.

Benavidez (27-5 MMA, 14-3 UFC) takes on Jussier Formiga at UFC on ESPN 3 in Minneapolis on June 29. In a flyweight division which has been thinned by roster cuts, it seems obvious the winner is likely next in line for the 125-pound belt held by Cejudo.

However, the issue lies with Cejudo’s next move. After capturing the bantamweight title with an incredible comeback finish over Marlon Moraes at UFC 238, the double champ recently underwent shoulder surgery, which is expected to sideline him for the rest of the year.

In the meantime, more flyweight and bantamweight contenders will emerge, leaving Cejudo with a big choice to make when he returns.

Benavidez believes Cejudo’s decision should be easy.

“He’s kind of all over the place with that but at the end of the day, he’s the 125-pound champion,” Benavidez told MMA Junkie. “He fought at 135 last, I think it would make sense to fight at 125 again. I’m the only person of the contenders that he could fight. I’m the only one with history with him. I have a win over him so you figure he’d want to do that, the company would want to do that.”

“No offense to anyone that he called out or anyone that was a No. 1 contender, that made themselves No. 1 contender that night, I just make the most sense with Henry,” Benavidez added. “We have a history, ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ one of the best fights of the year and his last loss is me, so it makes sense to do that next.”

While Benavidez isn’t trying to overlook Formiga (23-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC), he’s just trying to plan for the future. The two first fought six years ago when Benavidez dropped Formiga with a brutal body shot in the first round and went onto secure a second crack at flyweight gold.

Since his loss to Benavidez, Formiga has gone an impressive 8-2, but has yet to get an opportunity to fight for gold. With both competitors amassing impressive overall records in the division, Benavidez feels this is the rightful No. 1 contender fight.

“This is a big fight for the division, and I think the rightful contender comes out of this fight, the winner,” Benavidez said. “At the end of the day, I have a tough fight in front of me and a guy (Formiga) who actually lost a split decision to Cejudo in a close fight and has improved since, so his two best contenders are at flyweight.”

Since winning the bantamweight title, Cejudo hasn’t mentioned the flyweight division. Instead, he called out a list of bantamweight names: Dominick Cruz, Urijah Faber and Cody Garbrandt.

“It was wild,” Benavidez laughed at the callouts. “Nothing surprises me from that guy anymore, it’s just great to watch from a distance. He’s calling out the biggest names, people that don’t make sense. They don’t make sense right now, those are big names and great fights potentially but in the state of the two divisions right now, there’s no question I’m the best fight for him.”

To hear more from Benavidez, check out the video above.

For more on UFC on ESPN 3, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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