UFC Fight Night 28's Jussier Formiga enjoying Tachi Palace Fights reunion

After a rough start to his UFC career, Jussier Formiga is finally feeling a bit more comfortable in the organization. Of course, having some friends along for the ride has made it much easier.

Formiga (15-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) fights top flyweight contender Joseph Benavidez (18-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC) in a FOX Sports 1-televised main card bout at UFC Fight Night 28, which takes place Wednesday at Mineirinho Arena in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Benavidez is ranked No. 2 and Formiga is No. 5 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com MMA flyweight rankings. It’s an opportunity for Formiga to further distance himself from a UFC-debut loss to John Dodson and build off a recent victory over Chris Cariaso.

It could also prove that the Dodson loss, which cost Formiga a No. 1 ranking in many people’s eyes, was a bit of an upset and unlikely to be the norm.

“The first fight wasn’t so good,” he told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “I felt the stress. Everything was so different. I didn’t fight to my full potential, but I don’t take anything away from my opponent. Things happened too fast.

“The second time around, it was against another tough guy, Chris Cariaso, but in Brazil. It was completely different. I was able to work my strategy and get the win.”

Formiga will again be in comfortable surroundings since Wednesday’s event takes place in his native Brazil. However, that’s not the only reason the 28-year-old’s feeling more at home with the UFC. Lately, he’s seen more and more of his fellow Tachi Palace Fights vets making their way to the octagon.

Before the UFC kicked off its 125-pound weight class in early 2012, many of the world’s top 10 flyweights were competing for the California-based promotion. Formiga said they all found unity and some camaraderie as the heavier weight classes overshadowed them. So as they’ve all found a new home in the world’s most prominent MMA organization, and with the signing of former Tachi Palace Fights flyweight champ Darrell Montague, it’s feeling like old times in the UFC.

“We may all be in the UFC now, but we also share common roots,” he said. “At Tachi, I got to know Montague, Ulysses Gomez, Ian McCall and various other flyweights. It’s great that many of us are in the UFC. The weight class may still be small, but the top 10 fighters are very tough.”

Formiga even has an affinity for Benavidez, whose career he’s followed for many years. While Formiga and other flyweights were stuck on the regional circuit and hoping for national or international opportunities, others like Benavidez fought bigger guys at bantamweight and still found success.

“Joe is a true veteran,” Formiga said of his opponent, whose only flyweight loss came to champ Demetrious Johnson. “I’ve been following his career since the WEC. He dropped down from bantamweight, but I think he only fought there because there wasn’t a flyweight division. It was commonly said that he was a small bantamweight, both he and Demetrious Johnson.

“Joe Benavidez has had a great career, and the loss to the champion is nothing to be ashamed of. He’s very tough and dangerous. But that’s what I need in the UFC. I need to be tested. Benavidez is a great test for me.”

And a prediction?

“You never know,” he said. “We both have our own strategies. Anything can happen. The real winner of this fight will be the fans.”

For the latest on UFC Fight Night 28, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.