Preview: UFC Fight Night 139 ‘Korean Zombie vs. Rodriguez’

Flyweights

Joseph Benavidez (25-5) vs. Ray Borg (11-3)

ODDS: Benavidez (-120), Borg (+100)

It is a bit odd to think about, but Benavidez is probably one of the most underrated MMA fighters of all-time. There is the oft-repeated refrain that Daniel Cormier’s an all-time great who happened to be overshadowed by Jon Jones, but in terms of great fighters being overshadowed by all-timers, it is hard to beat Benavidez. Up until June, the only two men who had beaten him were Dominick Cruz and Demetrious Johnson. As Johnson reigned over the UFC’s flyweight division, Benavidez was consistently there as an erstwhile runner-up, even from the beginning, as the first title fight in the division saw “Mighty Mouse” narrowly edge out a decision win over him. Benavidez earned himself a rematch in short order, but the stars aligned for Johnson to knock out his challenger in a shade over two minutes, which unfortunately seemed to close the door on the UFC ever wanting a trilogy fight. Instead, Benavidez was left beating everyone in the division besides Johnson, all while getting no closer to a title shot. A narrow win over future champion Henry Cejudo looked like a result that might finally make a third fight undeniable, but Benavidez was booked for a bout against Ben Nguyen before tearing his ACL. After a long layoff, Benavidez did not look considerably worse, but Sergio Pettis still managed to swipe a decision from him in a close fight; and adding insult to injury, Benavidez lost just before Cejudo upset Johnson and opened up the entire division. So rather than being an obvious top flyweight contender for as long as the UFC keeps the division open, Benavidez now finds himself needing a win against Borg in order to prove himself.

Cejudo’s title win was significant for Borg, but that has basically been the only good news he has received over the last year and a half. Coming into the UFC at just 20 years old, Borg managed to overcome the UFC’s sink-or-swim mentality when it comes to top prospects. There was the occasional frustrating loss, but in general, Borg managed to fall back on his whirling dervish of a grappling game to win rounds and move his way up the ladder. A win over Jussier da Silva in early 2017 finally put Borg in the catbird seat for a title shot, but from there, things started to fall apart. Borg has always had issues cutting down to 125 pounds, and those issues manifested themselves once again when the first attempt at a Johnson-Borg title fight was scrapped and pushed back to UFC 216. There, Johnson dominated Borg before finishing things with a remarkable suplex-to-armbar transition. There was some curiosity about how Borg would rebound from such a one-sided loss, but instead, the fates conspired to keep him out of the cage in the worst possible way. Repeated attempts to fight Brandon Moreno fell apart: first due to a Moreno injury, then due to Borg being injured in the infamous Conor McGregor bus attack and finally due to issues with Borg’s newborn son, who has required multiple brain surgeries over the course of the year. It has been a rough 13 months for Borg, so if nothing else, hopefully getting back to what he does best provides him some solace, even beyond the possibility of becoming a title challenger with a win.

Like the Pettis fight, this is an interesting barometer for where Benavidez stands among today’s flyweights. However, in somewhat the inverse of the Pettis fight, which showed that a top-flight striker can beat Benavidez in a pure kickboxing match, this one might depend on how Benavidez fares on the ground. Benavidez has become more of a striker as his athleticism has started to fade, and if this fight takes place on the feet, he figures to win it. Borg uses a darting style of striking rather than applying any sort of constant pressure, and I do not see that as something that should give Benavidez trouble. If anything, the longtime veteran should eventually be able to time Borg’s rhythms and take over from there. As such, the question becomes whether or not Borg can get this to the mat and initiate the scrambles that serve as the best part of his game. Frankly, I think if it goes to the ground, Borg should have the advantage, with this caveat: I still trust in Benavidez’s wrestling enough that I think he can mostly keep the fight standing. If that is the case, Borg might get him in some early trouble before Benavidez takes over as the fight moves along. This is probably the best-made fight on the entire card, but the pick is Benavidez via decision.

Next Fight » Barber vs. Cifers