Joseph Benavidez is an American MMA fighter who began fighting in March 2011 after a merger of his original platform World Extreme Cagefighting with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the UFC. Benavidez fights from Sacramento, California in the flyweight class. Benavidez, also known as Joe B-Wan Kenobi, has won a handful of championships and successes. In the flyweight class, he was once placed 4th.
Joseph Benavidez Bio
Benavidez was born on July 31, 1984, in San Antonio, Texas, United States of America. As his face already reveals, he is of Mexican descent. He grew up in New Mexico and attended high school in Las Cruces. In high school, Benavidez started education in boxing and later in wrestling.
In order to support himself financially as a young boy, Benavidez worked as a canvas painter while striving to become a professional MMA fighter. To further his hopes, Benavidez traveled to Los Angeles in January 2007, hoping to meet Urijah Faber, the MMA fighter who was making waves in the World Extreme Cagefighting promotion at the time. Benavidez had hoped to impress Faber with his fighting skills enough to get a place on his team.
Since Benavidez was unable to find Faber’s gym when he reached LA, he decided instead to fight in any gym in Roseville, whereupon impressed spectators pointed out how he could hit Faber, who was equally impressive with his performance. Faber offered him a job at the reception desk of his gym, and Benavidez happily returned to New Mexico to bring his belongings to L.A.
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Joseph Benavidez fought his way up from small promotions before being signed up by World Extreme Cagefighting in 2008. The rest is, as they say, history.
Joseph Benavidez Net Worth
Joseph Benavidez earned most of his money with professional fighting. Although it is not exactly clear how much he earns per fight, credible sources estimate his net worth at around $2 million.
Wife (Megan Olivi)
Joseph Benavidez is married to the very lovely Megan Olivi. The couple is married since October 9, 2015. Megan Olivi is a reporter and journalist and works for Fox Sports 1 as the host of UFC Ultimate Insider, a weekly American sports television magazine that features portraits of MMA athletes. She also covers and reports on mixed martial arts events.
Olivi was born on August 29 in New Jersey as the youngest child in her family and grew up in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. Megan Olivi was a very lively child who excelled in both academics and athletics. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Seton Hall University and graduated with Magna Cum Laude.
Her history at FOX dates back to her internship year when she worked at Fox News Channel. There Olivi was able to work with Megyn Kelly during the 2008 U.S. presidential election. After graduation, Megan decided to focus on camera transmissions in the hope of making it a lifelong career.
She chose Fordham University to earn a master’s degree in mass communication. Nine months after enrolling, Megan Olivi graduated Cum Laude with honors. Megan’s first job in martial arts reporting came after she earned her master’s degree. She moved to Las Vegas, Nevada to be closer to all things MMA. She became co-host of Fight Night, a UFC preshow.
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It didn’t take long for FOX Sports to come and use her services. Besides reporting on MMA events for the network, she also wrote columns for the channel’s online platform. Fox 6 News San Diego in February 2013 would make her a correspondent, social media reporter, and host and producer of a weekly magazine show called “Padres POV.
With all of this experience, Benavidez’s wife returned to Las Vegas to continue reporting on the UFC. Megan not only knows the history of the MMA fighters but also has other interests – she was one of the last TV judges in the Miss Universe 2017 Pageant.
As an animal lover, Megan enjoys hiking with her dog. In early 2018, the couple hosted the Animal Foundation’s Best in Show 2018 as a co-chair. Ms. Benavidez also loves running, yoga, and cooking.
Joseph Benavidez Height, Weight
Joseph Benavidez, according to his profile on the official UFC website, stands at a height of 5 feet 4 inches (1.62m) tall. He weighs 56 kg (125 lb), has a reach of 65 inches and a long reach of 36 inches.
