UFC Fight Night: Maia vs Usman: The best and worst

Modified May 20, 2018 19:25 GMT

Kamaru Usman beat Demian Maia in last night's main event

#3 Worst: The UFC’s weird choices for bout order

Why the UFC didn't showcase Gabriel Benitez is a mystery

Last December’s Fight Night 123 saw Gabriel Benitez defeat Jason Knight – a semi-pushed fighter by the UFC brass – in pretty one-sided fashion, and the fight was entertaining too. So you’d have expected ‘Moggly’ to be showcased in his next fight.

Instead, last night saw him matched with the inexperienced Humberto Bandenay, who’d had just one UFC fight prior to this, almost a year ago, and was clearly a step down the ladder from Knight. And to add insult to injury, the fight was scheduled on the Fox Sports 2 prelim card.

Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more

Sure, it was an entertaining fight, but only because Benitez simply destroyed Bandenay in just 39 seconds. The question though is why did the UFC book Benitez like this after showcasing him heavily just six months ago?

The promotion is in dire need of stars right now and while I’m not suggesting Benitez could become the next Conor McGregor, paying more attention to which fighters are being showcased in the premium slots on their cards wouldn’t do any harm. After his last performance, Benitez deserved a better opponent here – and he deserved a better slot on the card, too.

About the author

Scott is a veteran MMA writer with over two decades of experience, including his ongoing tenure in Sportskeeda, which began seven years ago. He has written over 3000 pieces for the organization, while also covering football. Before joining Sportskeeda, Scott wrote articles for websites like The Oratory and Inside Pulse MMA.

Scott has a degree in history, which drives his research skills and helps him compile accurate information. His long stint in the field helps Scott provide a clear take on important topics, such as the criticism of promotions regarding fighter pay. While he feels fighters deserve a bigger revenue share, he doesn’t want MMA to suffer with purse-split issues.

Scott’s work has been previously reshared by the former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman. He uses credible sources, such as the UFC’s official website, during the writing process.

His dedication to MMA writing won him the Feature Writer of the Month award for Sportskeeda in November 2021.

Outside of work, Scott likes to go to the gym, walk his dog, and travel.

Know More

Follow One Championship News, Schedule & Results at Sportskeeda.

Edited by Kishan Prasad