Benavidez knows he’s picking up key elements in training with Faber, Mendes and the rest of the team.
“I get to wrestle with Mendes, and nobody’s gonna be harder to wrestle with than him,” he said of the Cal Poly product who went 30-1 his senior year. “We have Matt Sanchez, a two-time All-American in wrestling. He’s a great submission wrestler, winning at Grappler’s Quest; I go with him a lot. It just gives you a real good sense of security that you can go with these tough guys.”
Dream Opportunity
The 24-year-old from Las Cruces, N.M., was finally where he wanted to be -- living and training like a fighter. Ironically, a bout with Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto in the Dream promotion was offered just two years into his career. It wasn’t just a step up -- it was the whole staircase.
“When I first signed with my managers, I told them I wanted to fight in Japan. I was in the office with Faber. We’re talking, and I’m fighting in PFC at the time. They were kind of dicking me around. I’d knocked out a guy, and they gave him a title shot. I was just doing what anyone would do,” he said. “I’m sitting in Faber’s office and saying, ‘This is BS. I am undefeated. I have this many fights.’ And Faber’s like, ‘I have been through all this.’ He had to wait forever for a 145-pound weight class to be created. He said, ‘Your time will come.’ And then, honestly, probably 15 seconds later, he’s talking to me and is on the computer. He gets an e-mail from the Dream organization, and his first email is, ‘Urijah, how would Joseph Benavidez feel about a fight with Kid Yamamoto?’”
Given Benavidez’s fortuitous series of breaks in getting hooked up with Faber, it made sense at the time, precisely because of the timing.
After the July 2008 bout with Yamamoto fell through three days before the fight, Benavidez notched a win inside the Dream promotion, submitting replacement Junya Kudo. It was a surreal experience, heading to Japan to fight the man who many see as a dream matchup for Faber.
“I believed I could shock the world. I trained super hard for it. It was everything I wanted. Then when I got to Japan, it started to sink in,” Benavidez said. “I’m in another country. They had me in another room with interviewers, and all the questions were about Kid Yamamoto. I remember getting outta this interview, thinking, ‘Wow, I’m gonna fight Kid Yamamoto in three days.’ Then as quick as I realized it, some dude came up from Dream, [and] he looked like he was gonna cry. He was in panic mode. Then he handed the phone to Urijah, who got a weird look on his face. Then Urijah asked if they could get another opponent. I never looked back, but, once again, the fight was all I could think about.”
A Shift in Focus
That focus has shifted to Curran, a crafty contender whose recent drop to bantamweight adds depth to a division ruled by Torres, who seems more untouchable at times than human. Prepping for his April 5 showdown with Curran, Benavidez knows he’ll have to best a veteran who was been beaten inside the distance by Faber and lost decisions to Yamamoto and reigning WEC featherweight champion Mike Thomas Brown. Curran sports a record of 29-10-1.
Perhaps one win away from facing Torres, Benavidez remains focused on Curran but could not help wonder, when prompted, what a fight might be like with the dangerous Chicagoan. Torres’ style is as unorthodox as it is effective, and much of it is overshadowed to the casual fan by his penchant for slam-bang finishes.
“The guy’s skills are so amazing. People can have amazing skills and not necessarily be able to use them in fight. This guy has more skills than anybody, and his composure in a fight, it freaking shocks me. He is fighting at 100 percent every time. I think he’s one of the best pound-for-pound in the world,” Benavidez said. “Me personally, in fights, I don’t have a gameplan. I know people’s tricks, and you gotta train for it. You have to find someone to come in and get used to his length, train really good cardio, go in there and fight him. Honestly, I think you gotta have a lucky day.”
Like finding an inspiring fighter to teach you the way, like moving to another state and pursuing it, you have to just go for it.
“I think he matches up with Torres well,” Faber said. “Miguel’s only thing he doesn’t really have is wrestling. My style is jiu-jitsu and wrestling together; I think I’ve been able to teach it to my guys. Joseph would be able to do good against him. On stand-up, Joseph is really unorthodox, and the advantage for Miguel would be on reach. But Joe is really creative at getting in on fighters of all sizes. Miguel Torres is tough as nails, but I think Joseph is really a guy that gives him some fits.”
Despite his high-energy style -- Benavidez’ muay Thai combos and variants are as refreshing as the slick moves he utilizes to stay a move ahead on the mat or to get the fight there -- he’s as much of iconoclast outside the fight game as he is a unique performer in it. What you’d expect a young 20-something fighter to be involved with during his spare time, Benavidez probably is not. His roommate, a fireman, is gone most of the time, and when he’s not training, he’s resting at home.
“They make fun of me at the gym,” Benavidez said. “I drive an ‘86 Lincoln Continental. It’s all original, got fur seat covers, a tape player. I buy tons of tapes. Everybody thinks I’m gonna buy a new car. I wear regular jeans with Birkenstocks. I don’t have a Myspace [page] or iPod. I write awesome handwritten letters. The Goodwill, that’s my spot for clothes.”
When you’re where you need to be, and living the dream, you can roll like that without even thinking about it.
Team Alpha Male’s Chad Mendes will be featured in the next Prospect Watch.