The first fight on tomorrow’s UFC 156 pay-per-view will be a flyweight fight between top contenders Joseph Benavidez and Ian McCall. 
Both fighters were in the flyweight tournament, which Demetrious Johnson defeated both of them to win the tournament and become the flyweight champion.
McCall (11-3-1) will be looking for his first UFC victory tomorrow night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and believes that Benavidez is good overall, but is not great overall.
“He is good overall, but not great,” McCall said in his UFC 156 pre-fight interview. “He is not technically superior at anything but he is just really a tough guy. He hits real hard and he is not afraid of anything. I know I have a good chin because of the guys I get hit by on a daily basis, hit really hard and they hit harder than Joe. Can Joe knockout me out? I’m sure Joe can knock a lot of people out, but I don’t think he has a shot.”
Now this will be “Uncle Creepy’s” first fight since UFC on FX 3 last June, which Johnson defeated him by decision. He came back for this fight lighter and is back to the way he used to fight.
“I’m back to fighting the way I used to fight. My footwork is back. I’m about ten pounds lighter than my last camp. I’m back with footwork, speed and I still have my power, if not more. I would say the last two fights that I strayed away from what I was good at, that showed and I had poor performances. Now that I’m back doing what I love to do, doing what I do best, it’s going to be the most impressive me to date.”
Benavidez does have eight career submission victories, which includes four of those wins coming by guillotine choke. McCall goes know that his opponent has a good guillotine choke, but feels he is the superior grappler.
“If this fight goes to the ground, I know I am the far superior grappler. I showed that with Demetrious and I have only gotten a lot better since then. My submissions have gotten a lot better. I’m attacking a lot more. Not to say that Joe isn’t good on the ground, but if I put him on his back, it’s going to be the same thing I did to Demetrious.”
The winner of tomorrow night’s fight may end up being the next title challenger for Johnson, even though both fighters recently lost to him. If the UFC does not give McCall the title shot if he defeats Benavidez, his feeling would not be hurt.
“The winner of this fight is definitely number two, but I guess it’s up to the adoring public and the bosses to see if we get a title shot. Demetrious just beat both of us, so my feeling would not be hurt, if I didn’t get a title shot. I would definitely be happy to fight him again.”