Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight
Jonathan
Pearce is a firm believer that discretion is the better part of
valor. At the
UFC on ESPN 23
weigh-ins on Friday, Gabriel
Benitez (22-8) came in at 150.5 pounds for his featherweight
bout against Pearce (10-4). For a weight miss this substantial –
Benitez came in 4.5 pounds over the limit – the on-weight fighter
can elect to take the fight or decline it. Per Pearce’s Instagram account
shortly after the weigh-ins were complete, he has decided not to
compete on Saturday, so he does not give his foe a competitive
advantage. It is uncertain at this time if the UFC will rebook the
pairing for a later date, or go in a different direction
entirely.
“Unfortunately, my opponent came in almost 5lbs overweight and our
fight is off,” Pearce wrote. “I did my part by showing up and
making weight and I won’t reward him by accepting a fight and
giving away any advantage. I’m trying to be smart about my career,
and I hope to be back in the cage soon.”
Pearce returned to the win column in November by punching out
Kai
Kamaka III, and in the process handed the Hawaiian his first
loss due to strikes. The fighter known as “JSP” made his way to the
promotion with a victorious performance on the third season of
Dana White’s Contender Series, where he stopped
Jacob
Rosales with one punch to earn himself a contract. His debut
came in 2019 against Joe Lauzon,
and Pearce suffered his first career knockout in 93 seconds to the
longtime vet. Pearce maintains a high finish rate of 90 percent,
with stoppages in each of his last eight victories.
Benitez too came back from a loss at the end of last year, knocking
out Justin
Jaynes with a knee to the body and follow-up elbows in
December. The victory snapped a two-fight skid where he was knocked
out by Sodiq
Yusuff and beaten on the scorecards by Omar
Morales. “Moggly” also posts a high finish rate, although lower
than his former opponent’s at 82 percent. Benitez made his UFC
debut at UFC 180 in November 2014, one week after Pearce made his
own professional debut.
UFC on ESPN 23 will move ahead on May 1 at the UFC Apex in Las
Vegas with 11 fights, and the light heavyweight headliner of
Dominick
Reyes vs. Jiri
Prochazka is still intact. The co-main assignment remains a
featherweight scrap between Cub Swanson
and Giga
Chikadze, while a sudden grudge match sits as the featured
fight on the card. Ion
Cutelaba and Dustin
Jacoby got into a physical
altercation at the weigh-ins ahead of their light heavyweight
battle, as Cutelaba grabbed the back of Jacoby’s neck, and Jacoby
was none too thrilled.
