The video up on the UFC’s YouTube channel isn’t the entirety of Joseph Benavidez’s media scrum.
Nearly three minutes of Joseph Benavidez’s UFC 225 media scrum was edited out of the video the promotion uploaded to their YouTube account. Anyone listening to the interview may have missed the edit. However, eagle-eyed viewers would have spotted a clear cut in the video.
After the number one flyweight contender answered a question about completing the trilogy against champions Demetrious Johnson, a white light flashed across the screen. When it cut back, Benavidez was being asked whether he believes there is apprehension about giving him another title shot or if the division is underpromoted.
Without context, it almost sounds like he answering a question on why there may be a perception that he is undeserving of another crack at the belt. However, the two minutes and 40 seconds prior to this question provides more context.
The part of the interview the UFC doesn’t want you to hear
The UFC didn’t put up the entire interview on their channel, but fortunately, ESPN did. Here is the question Benavidez was asked immediately after the clip cuts.
“Now you mentioned the division in a way is worse off than when you left. Do you think the UFC’s snubbing the flyweight division? There hasn’t been a flyweight on the main card of any PPV so far and you’re on the early prelims and (CM) Punk’s on the main card.”
Benavidez is fighting number five-ranked Sergio Pettis at UFC 225. The flyweight bout is third from the bottom of the bill, not even headlining the Fightpass prelims that precede the preliminary card. Meanwhile, 0-1 fighters CM Punk and Mike Jackson are on the main card.
Benavidez believes that the promotion is completely underpromoting the division. He even suggested the snub may have been ‘something personal’ towards him.
“Even the fact that you asked that answers the question. They’re definitely snubbing the flyweights. No other person, in any division in the UFC with a No. 1 ranking and six wins in a row, would be buried on Fight Pass. Not a main event, not kicking off the card, just buried on Fightpass. You answered your own question.”
“What other theory is there to have besides they are snubbing us or it’s something personal towards me or the flyweight division? Those are the only real options left because that wouldn’t happen to any other person in any other division.”
“What’s the most disappointing part about that?”
That was the follow-up question that was asked by a reporter. Benavidez cited two main sources of disappointment – the lack of respect and the confusion among his supporters.
“It doesn’t affect the fight. so it’s kind of hard to be disappointed in that. It’s just, you want to be respected by your bosses and obviously your peers and stuff. So that’s more the disappointing part is like everything you’ve put in is almost disrespected and definitely underappreciated. It wouldn’t happen to anyone else, so you have to feel very disrespected in that part. No one was six wins in a row with a number one ranking would be there. So just disrespected and underappreciated in that respect.”
“Really, just fans. I don’t like the fact thatI’ve gone through a lot to get here. 18 months, 13 months post surgery and I’ve gone through a lot to get there. I’m doing my job. And that No. 1 ranking next to my name and what I’ve done in the past, I’m doing my job a lot better than a good percentage of everyone else. It just doesn’t make any sense.”
“I guess another disappointing part, like I was mentioning the fans, they can’t just turn on their TV. My family, my friends, everyone who wants to see me. Some people don’t have Fightpass. Some people, honestly, as simple as it sounds, aren’t going to login and put in all their information to get a fight on Fightpass. I mean, they’re just not going to do it. Yeah, so that’s kind of disappointing when you talk to people and they’re like, ‘Sick, it’s on PPV.’ And you’re like, ‘Nah, it’s on this app called Fightpass.’ And they’re like, ‘Ugh, never heard of it. How do I get it?’ Just little things like that, but the big picture is just being underappreciated by people that should appreciate me.”
You can see why the UFC didn’t want these quotes getting out. At least, not on their own channel.
