Gabriel Benítez (born June 15, 1988) is a Mexican

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

. He was a contestant on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 1'', and competed in the

Featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, ...

and

Lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing (sport), rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) boxing weight classes, weight class in the spor ...

divisions of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

(UFC).

Background

Benítez was born in Tijuana, Mexico and started training in mixed martial arts when he was 18 years old.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Benítez started his professional MMA career in 2007, making his debut in his home country Mexico (including several fights in UWC) and he amassed a record of 16–4 prior to signing with the UFC.

The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 1

Benítez was selected as one of the cast members for The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 1, UFC

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

TV series, under Team

Cain Velasquez Cain Ramírez Velásquez (born July 28, 1982) is an American former professional wrestler and mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He is widely known for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he competed in the Heavyweight ( ...

in April 2014. In elimination round, Benítez submitted Diego Rivas via rear-naked choke in round 2. Benítez next faced Leonardo Morales in the semifinals and he lost by unanimous decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Benítez made his promotional debut on November 15, 2014, at

UFC 180 ''UFC 180: Werdum vs. Hunt'' was a mixed martial arts event held on November 15, 2014, at Arena Ciudad de México in Mexico City, Mexico. Background The event was the first the organization hosted in Mexico and was so popular that all 21,000 tic ...

against Humberto Brown. He won the first UFC win via guillotine choke in round 3. He next faced

Clay Collard Clay Collard (born March 10, 1993) is an American professional mixed martial artist and former Professional boxer. A professional since 2011, he formerly competed for the UFC. He currently competes in the lightweight division of the Professional ...

on June 13, 2015, at

UFC 188 ''UFC 188: Velasquez vs. Werdum'' was a mixed martial arts event held on June 13, 2015, at Arena Ciudad de México in Mexico City, Mexico. Background The event was headlined by a UFC Heavyweight Championship unification bout between current cham ...

. He won via unanimous decision with 30-27 across the board On his third appearance for UFC fight, Benítez took on

Andre Fili Andre Riley Givens-Fili (born Andre Riley Givens; June 25, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Fili is of Samoan and ...

on November 21, 2015, at UFC Fight Night: Magny vs. Gastelum. He lost the fight via KO in round one. On September 17, 2016, Benítez face

Sam Sicilia Samuel Travis Sicilia (born February 1, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the featherweight division for Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2007, Sicilia formerly competed for the UFC, an ...

at UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Johnson. He defeated Sicilia via guillotine choke in round two. Benítez faced

Enrique Barzola Enrique Johnatan Barzola Acosta (born 28 April 1989) is a Peruvian mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions of Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA). He was the lightweight winner on The Ultimate Fighter: ...

, the featherweight champion of “ The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 2, on May 13, 2017, at

UFC 211 ''UFC 211: Miocic vs. dos Santos 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on May 13, 2017, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Background The event was the fourth that the UFC has host ...

. After three rounds fight, the judges awarded the win to Barzola with 29-28 across the score board. Benítez faced Jason Knight on December 9, 2017, at

UFC Fight Night 123 ''UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Ortega'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 123'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on December 9, 2017, at Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. Background ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Benítez faced

Humberto Bandenay Humberto Bandenay (born September 4, 1994) is a Peruvian mixed martial artist (MMA) who is best known for competing in the Featherweight division in the UFC. Mixed martial arts career Early career Bandenay started his professional MMA career i ...

on May 19, 2018, at

UFC Fight Night 129 ''UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Usman'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 129'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on May 19, 2018, at Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile. Background The event m ...

. He won the fight via knockout due to a slam and punches just 39 seconds into the first round. This win earned him the

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

bonus. Benítez faced

Sodiq Yusuff Sodiq Olamide Yusuff (born May 19, 1993) is a Nigerian-American professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Being born in Lagos, Nigeria, his fath ...

on August 17, 2019, at

UFC 241 ''UFC 241: Cormier vs. Miocic 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 17, 2019, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Background A UFC Heavyweight Championship rematch b ...

. He lost the fight via knockout in round one. Benítez was expected to face

Lerone Murphy Lerone Murphy (born 22 July 1991) is an English professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of 8 April 2025, he is #8 in UFC featherweight rankings. Back ...

on March 21, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs. Edwards. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the event was eventually postponed. Benítez faced Omar Morales on May 13, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Benítez was scheduled to face

Justin Jaynes Justin Jaynes (born August 10, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight and Lightweight divisions. A professional since 2008, he most notably competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is the fo ...

on November 14, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. dos Anjos. The fight was canceled after Benítez tested positive for COVID-19. The pairing was left intact and eventually took place on December 5, 2020, at UFC on ESPN 19. He won the fight via technical knockout in the first round. This fight earned him the ''

'' award. Benítez was scheduled to face Jonathan Pearce on May 1, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 23. However, weighing in over 4 pounds during weigh-in, the bout was cancelled. Benítez faced

Billy Quarantillo William Daniel “Billy” Quarantillo (born December 8, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was the former King of the Cage Lightweight Champion ...

, replacing

Herbert Burns Herbert Mitchell Pontes Burns (born February 2, 1988) is a Brazilian Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who has competed in the Featherweight (MMA), featherweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and ONE Championship. He is ...

on July 17, 2021, at

UFC on ESPN 26 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The large ...

. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round three. This win earned him the'' Fight of the Night'' award. Benítez was scheduled to face T.J. Brown on January 15, 2022, at

UFC on ESPN 32 ''UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Chikadze'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 32 '' and ''UFC Vegas 46'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on January 15, 2022 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise ...

. Three days before the event, Benítez was forced to pull out and

Charles Rosa Charles Rosa (born August 24, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division. A professional since 2012, he is most notable for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background ...

replaced him with the bout now taking place at Lightweight. Benítez faced David Onama on February 19, 2022, at UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Hill. At weigh-ins, Benítez weighed in at 148 pounds, 2 pounds over the featherweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and he was fined 30% of his purse. Benítez lost the bout via first round knockout. Benítez faced Charlie Ontiveros on August 13, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 41. He won the fight via technical knockout in round one. Benítez was scheduled to face Jim Miller on February 18, 2023, at

UFC Fight Night 219 ''UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Blanchfield'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 219'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 77'', and ''UFC Vegas 69'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 18, 2023, at ...

. However, Benítez withdrew due to an undisclosed reason and was replaced by

Alexander Hernandez Alexander Xavier Hernandez (born October 1, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Hernandez began wrestling at the age of 13 and started train ...

. Benítez faced Jim Miller on January 13, 2024, at

UFC Fight Night 234 ''UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Walker 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 234, UFC on ESPN+ 92'' and ''UFC Vegas 84'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on January 13, 2024, at the UFC ...

. He lost by face crank submission in the third round. Benítez faced Maheshate Hayisaer, replacing

Anshul Jubli Anshul Jubli (born 13 January 1995) is an Indian professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Jubli became the second Indian citizen to get a UFC contract, af ...

on April 27, 2024, at

UFC on ESPN 55 ''UFC on ESPN: Nicolau vs. Perez'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 55'' and ''UFC Vegas 91'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on April 27, 2024, at the UFC Apex facility, in Enterprise, N ...

. He lost the fight by split decision. On December 13, 2024, it was reported that Benítez was removed from the UFC roster.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

(Two times) vs.

and

** Fight of the Night (One time) **UFC.com Awards ***2017: Ranked #6 Upset of the Year * Ultimate Warrior Challenge ** Ultimate Warrior Challenge Featherweight Champion (One time) * Xtreme Kombat ** Xtreme Kombat Featherweight Champion (One time) vs. Antonio Ramirez * Xtreme Fighters Latino ** Xtreme Fighters Latino Featherweight Champion (One time) vs. Daniel Salas * Xplode Fight Series ** Xplode Fight Series Featherweight Champion (One time) vs. Ryan Bixler

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 23–12 , Maheshate Hayisaer , Decision (split) , UFC on ESPN: Nicolau vs. Perez , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 23–11 , Jim Miller , Submission (face crank) , UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Walker 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:25 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 23–10 , Charlie Ontiveros , TKO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Cruz , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:35 ,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 22–10 , David Onama , KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Hill , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:24 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 22–9 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Makhachev vs. Moisés , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:40 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 22–8 ,

, TKO (knee to the body and elbows) , UFC on ESPN: Hermansson vs. Vettori , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:06 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–8 , Omar Morales , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

, United States , , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–7 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:14 ,

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–6 ,

, KO (slam) , UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Usman , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:39 ,

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

, Chile , , - , Win , align=center, 20–6 , Jason Knight , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Ortega , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Fresno, California Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–6 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–5 ,

, Technical Submission (guillotine choke) , UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Johnson , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:20 ,

Hidalgo, Texas Hidalgo is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. Its population was 11,198 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, and in 2020, the population had risen to 13,964. History The area that is now Hidalgo was first settled by Spanis ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–5 ,

, KO (head kick and punches) , The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 2 Finale: Magny vs. Gastelum , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:13 ,

Monterrey Monterrey (, , abbreviated as MtY) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is the ninth-largest city and the second largest metropolitan area, after Greater Mexico City. Located at the foothills of th ...

, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 18–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 17–4 , Humberto Brown , Technical Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:30 ,

, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 16–4 , Angelo Sanchez , Decision (unanimous) , Orthrus Promotions: Triple A MMA 5 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–4 , Rey Trujillo , TKO (punches) , Fresquez Productions: Havoc , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:25 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–4 , Richard Villa , Submission (heel hook) , Jackson's MMA Series 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:52 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–3 , Rigo Oropeza , Submission (guillotine choke) , Ultimate Warrior Challenge Mexico 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:19 ,

Tijuana Tijuana is the most populous city of the Mexican state of Baja California, located on the northwestern Pacific Coast of Mexico. Tijuana is the municipal seat of the Tijuana Municipality, the hub of the Tijuana metropolitan area and the most popu ...

, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2 , Antonio Ramirez , KO (punches) , Xtreme Kombat 17 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:48 ,

, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2 , Ryan Bixler , TKO (punches) , Xplode Fight Series: Hunted , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:24 ,

Valley Center, California Valley Center is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California, United States. The population was 10,087 at the 2020 census, up from 9,277 at the 2010 census. History In the late 1860s, the area now known as Valley Center was ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 , Jorge Lopez , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Ultimate Warrior Challenge Mexico 12 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:12 ,

, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 , Daniel Salas , Decision (unanimous) , Xtreme Fighters Latino , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , Raul Bellereza , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Ultimate Warrior Challenge Mexico 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:29 ,

, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 , Manuel Ramos Gallareta , Submission (kimura) , Ultimate Warrior Challenge Mexico 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:03 ,

, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2 , Tito Castro , TKO (punches) , Ultimate Warrior Challenge Mexico 4 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:15 ,

, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2 , Shawn Major , Submission (armbar) , Ultimate Challenge Mexico 12 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:39 ,

, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 6–2 , Shawn Major , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Ultimate Warrior Challenge Mexico 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:13 ,

, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 5–2 , Kyle Olsen , Submission (guillotine choke) , Ultimate Warrior Challenge Mexico 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:24 ,

, Mexico , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–2 ,

Yaotzin Meza Yaotzin Meza (born February 4, 1981) is an American former mixed martial artist who is best known for competing in the bantamweight and featherweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Meza went to Flagstaff High Sch ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Noche de Gladiadores , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

Hermosillo Hermosillo (), formerly called Pitic (as in ''Santísima Trinidad del Pitic'' and ''Presidio del Pitic''), is a city in the center of the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is the municipal seat of the Hermosillo municipality, the state's ...

, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Alan Mar , Submission (guillotine choke) , Ultimate Challenge Mexico 6 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:04 ,

, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Dominic Gutierrez , Submission (armbar) , Tijuana Municipal Sports Institute: No Way Out , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:31 ,

, Mexico , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 , Emilio Chavez , Decision (unanimous) , Cage of Fire 10 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Tomas Huerta , KO (punches) , Ultimate Challenge Mexico 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:00 ,

, Mexico , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Martin Perez , Submission (armbar) , Ultimate Challenge Mexico 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:00 ,

, Mexico , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Benitez, Gabriel Living people 1988 births Mexican male mixed martial artists Featherweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Tijuana Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Mexican practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu 21st-century Mexican sportsmen