Joseph Benavidez Looking Forward to Book Release and Shooting for March UFC Debut

Joseph Benavidez is looking to add to his career accolades. He’s already been a top title contender, a male model, and now he’s looking to add author to that list as well.

Before ever fighting Wagnney Fabiano in November, the Team Alpha Male fighter declared quite prophetically that he eats black belts for breakfast. He then promptly submitted Fabiano, who happens to be a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, in the second round of their match-up at WEC 52.

Following the fight, Benavidez mentioned that it was “joe-jitsu” that got him through the fight, and now he’s decided to coin the phrase officially as he works on his new book, “A Complex Living, Breathing Guide to Joe-Jitsu.”

The lifestyle guide as Benavidez describes it, will have belt levels and a path for all those who aspire to become experts in Joe-Jitsu. All jokes aside however, Benavidez isn’t sure why he’s matched up with so many black belts, but if that’s what the UFC has in store for him, he’s happy to notch a few more wins on his belt.

“My last four wins have been against black belts,” Benavidez told MMAWeekly Radio. “It’s cool cause even though I’ve been matched up with black belts my last four fights, my last four wins, looking back basically I’ve demolished anyone that’s not named Dominick Cruz, that doesn’t like run around from me. So I just beat them and they just happened to be black belts.”

Before his fight with Fabiano, like many WEC stars, Benavidez was hesitant to talk too much about a UFC future simply because without a win he may not have had a UFC future. Now he knows for sure he’s making the transition and he’s already in the ear of matchmaker Sean Shelby to get him a fight.

“Now my next fight’s in the UFC, I’m excited for it. I don’t have anything to say as far as opponents. There’s a lot of tough dudes out there and I’ve been trying to get in Sean Shelby’s ear and my manager’s to try and find something out, but I’m kind of in a different position right now where I just fought for the title, and I feel I’ll beat anyone else there is, so I’m just waiting,” said Benavidez.

As far as where and when he wants to fight, Benavidez, who has fought in Japan before, hopes to travel abroad for the UFC. Some fighters shy away from traveling long distances for fights, but Benavidez is hopeful to end up on one of the UFC cards with some international flavor to it.

“I’m going to ask to travel and fight on one of these international shows, just to get the experience,” Benavidez stated. “I’m hoping for March. March is a good month for me, it’s a lucky month for me. That’s when I fought Miguel Torres last year, and I believe there’s also three shows in March so I’m really hoping to get on one of those.”

There has been no word on potential opponents for Benavidez, but as a Top 10 ranked bantamweight, there is no shortage of possibilities for him. Also keep an eye out for Benavidez’s book of Joe-Jitsu coming very soon to retailers everywhere.