According to a Feb. 1 report from Sherdog, UFC 156's Joseph Benavidez thinks Ian McCall isn't a 'dangerous, finishing type' of opponent.
“He might not be super consistent from fight to fight, but he always puts on a show and he’s dangerous,” Benavidez said of McCall during an interview on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Cheap Seats” show. “He is powerful strength-wise, but I don’t look at him necessarily as a dangerous, finishing type. He’s just really powerful, strong, explosive. He’s a great athlete with a great style, and I think it’s going to be an awesome fight. I’m looking to go in there and make my statement. This is like a small battle for me. Him and Demetrious had a super close fight, so I’m looking to beat him way worse.”
Benavidez fights McCall on Feb. 2 at the UFC 156 event slated for Las Vegas, Nev. There's plenty on the line, as the winner will be right back in the mix for a title shot against UFC flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson.
“I like McCall,” Benavidez said. “I’m a fan of his style. He’s crazy and I respect that. He puts it all on the line and puts it all out there. … He’s a guy that’s actually going to fight me. He has confidence in his skills, in his power and he doesn’t run. He goes in there and looks for a fight and doesn’t mind getting punched in the face. He doesn’t mind it, so I’m just going to go ahead and just give him the punishment that he likes.”
Benavidez hasn't forgotten about his loss to Demetrious Johnson, but he's ready to get back to the grind and walk away with his hand raised at UFC 156.
“There’s things you’re going to learn technically and kind of where he beat me with strategy and just his takedowns and everything,” Benavidez said. “He’s a great fighter. I fought the best guy in the world at my weight class. I don’t think I had a great performance, and he fought a perfect fight. I need to not be so hard on myself and realize it was a close fight and I’m just lucky that I get to do this. It’s always times like this where I find myself maybe complaining or being down on myself about this, but then I realize how lucky I am that this is my life and I’m one of two people ever that got to fight for this inaugural flyweight title.”
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