Who is Gabriel Benitez? Everything you need to know about Jim Miller's UFC Vegas 84 opponent

Gabriel Benitez is a 35-year-old Mexican professional MMA fighter who is set to compete in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 84 against Jim Miller. The lightweight fight is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Jan. 13, at the Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The two were scheduled to face each other in February 2023, but Benitez had to withdraw from the bout due to an injury.

The Tijuana-born fighter clinched an impressive win in his last bout against Charlie Ontiveros, securing a first-round knockout at UFC Fight Night: Vera vs. Cruz in August 2022 and putting an end to a two-fight losing streak.

'Moggly' holds a professional MMA record of 23-11, with 10 victories earned through submission. Benitez participated in 'The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 1', securing a submission win over Diego Rivas in the quarterfinals. However, he succumbed to a unanimous decision defeat to Leonardo Morales in the semifinals in October 2014.

Benitez began his MMA journey at the age of 18 and discovered his passion for the sport within just eight months of training. His accomplished MMA career prospered across various regional promotions such as the Ultimate Warrior Challenge, Xtreme Kombat, and Xtreme Fighters Latino.

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Cain Velasquez is set to corner Gabriel Benitez at UFC Vegas 84

Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez is set to make a comeback to the octagon on Saturday, assuming the role of coach and cornerman for Gabriel Benitez.

Velasquez, currently out on bail following attempted murder charges, had previously been granted approval to corner Usman Nurmagomedov at a Bellator event in California last October. Now, he will be in the corner for Benitez in his bout against Jim Miller at UFC Vegas 84.

During the pre-fight media interaction on Wednesday, 'Moggly' expressed gratitude for having Velasquez in his corner:

"Cain was the champ before, and he has a lot of experience. But the good thing, he knows how to share the experience. A lot of fighters, they’re super good. Or coaches, they’re super good, but they don’t know how to work with you. I’m glad to have him, and I feel like right now, Cain is like a big brother to everyone else. I’m grateful to have him in my corner again."

Check out Gabriel Benitez's comments below (3:34):

Velasquez was granted bail after posting $1 million as bond. He is under constant GPS surveillance and must adhere to various conditions. Despite a recent warning for a surveillance violation, the 41-year-old American did not face additional penalties from the hearing judge.