Meanwhile, Formiga has served as something of a gatekeeper for the division. The 34-year-old only has four losses during his time in UFC \u2013 including one each to Benavidez and Cejudo \u2013 and each man that has beaten him next received a title shot as a reward. Now, the Brazilian thinks it\u2019s his time to get a turn against the champion.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m on a quest to beat everybody who beat me,\u201d Formiga told MMA Junkie on media day. \u201cBenavidez is now because he\u2019s the next one, and then Cejudo is next.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Formiga has certainly improved since the 2013 fight in which Benavidez beat him in the first round, and both fighters have become crafty veterans in the later stages of their career. That makes it likely that this bout will go to decision, where it could easily go either way. Given both their prior result and their recent form, however, Benavidez appears to be the more likely winner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Two fights that would be right at home on the main card of a pay-per-view will serve as the headlining bouts for UFC on ESPN 3 on Saturday night in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Heavyweights Francis Ngannou (-235, via Bovada) and Junior dos Santos (+185) will face off in the main event, while flyweights Jussier Formiga (+130) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":108011,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,1074],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou Favored to Finish Dos Santos<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n