The two-time flyweight title challenger fought Alex Perez on the preliminary portion of The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale on Friday in Las Vegas and pulled out a TKO victory despite referee Yves Lavigne interfering at an inopportune time.
Perez came out aggressive, looking to cut off Benavidez’s angles and set up his strikes, but the sharp counter-punching of Benavidez stopped Perez from finding any rhythm on offense. When it was Benavidez’s turn to come forward, he was able to push Perez down and get into position for ground-and-pound. That’s when the bout took a turn for the weird.