Charlie Ontiveros will step into the UFC cage for the third time this weekend at UFC San Diego against Gabriel Benitez. However, this almost didn’t happen.
It was ten months between fights because Ontiveros was recovering from the Kevin Holland fight. A neck injury resulted in a first-round verbal submission in the October 2020 fight and many residuals lingered afterward.
The injury was to such a scale that Ontiveros said doctors told him that most necks are at a thirty-seven-degree curve while his neck was a negative twenty-five. He had PTSD to the point where he didn’t want to fight anymore. With two kids at home and considering his overall life’s journey, there was a lot of soul searching to be done.
“I had to look at it like this has been my dream since I was a teenager,” Ontiveros told The AllStar. “Make it in the UFC and I’m finally here. Now that fear set in and now I’m scared of my own deams, it just didn’t sit right with me. How am I supposed to look at my boys in the eye and tell them I didn’t chase my dreams because I got scared?… I’m still dealing with that fear, dude… But me and my mental coach, we’ve been working real hard.”
The LFA, Fury FC, and Bellator MMA veteran looks for his first ever UFC win against Benitez after back-to-back defeats with the organization. Ontiveros fell short in another October bout to Steve Garcia via second-round ground and pound at UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Rodriguez.
When giving his thoughts on his opponent, Ontiveros was candid in his lack of localized intel on Benitez.
“I haven’t watched hardly any film on him. I’m not much to watch film. My coaches do all the film watching. They let me know about anything to look out for. I have watched one of his fights and I think he’s got pretty decent kicks. Where hopefully we can trade some kicks. That’d be nice. I just don’t really see him doing any takedowns.”
“I haven’t heard him doing much of takedowns. But I’ve been drilling the ground just because it seems like everybody I think is a standup fighter is a standup until I fight them. Then they just want to go to the ground. I haven’t really worked standup at all this fight.”
Fighter profile
Charlie “The American Bad Boy” Ontiveros is a 31-year-old male fighter from the United States with 11 pro wins and 8 losses. Ontiveros is scheduled to fight Gabriel Benítez at UFC Fight Night: Vera vs. Cruz on Saturday, August 13, 2022.
Charlie Ontiveros’s recent form coming into this matchup
Charlie Ontiveros has gone 2-3 in the last 5 professional MMA fights.
- Loss vs Steve Garcia • KO/TKO R2 1:51 • 2021-10-09
- Loss vs Kevin Holland • KO/TKO R1 2:39 • 2020-10-31
- Win vs Washington Luiz • KO/TKO R1 1:35 • 2019-12-13
- Win vs Derrick Ageday • KO/TKO R1 1:50 • 2019-08-23
- Loss vs Will Morris • KO/TKO R1 1:03 • 2017-12-16
Charlie Ontiveros’s next opponent: Gabriel “Moggly” Benítez
Gabriel “Moggly” Benítez’s recent form coming into this matchup
Gabriel “Moggly” Benítez is a 34-year-old male fighter from Mexico with 22 pro wins and 10 losses. Benítez is scheduled to fight Charlie Ontiveros at UFC Fight Night: Vera vs. Cruz on Saturday, August 13, 2022.
Gabriel Benítez has gone 1-4 in the last 5 professional MMA fights.
- Loss vs David Onama • KO/TKO R1 4:24 • 2022-02-19
- Loss vs Billy Quarantillo • KO/TKO R3 3:40 • 2021-07-17
- Win vs Justin Jaynes • KO/TKO R1 4:06 • 2020-12-05
- Loss vs Omar Morales • Decision R3 5:00 • 2020-05-13
- Loss vs Sodiq Yusuff • KO/TKO R1 4:14 • 2019-08-17
How to watch and bet on Charlie Ontiveros vs Gabriel Benítez
Use the AllStar’s directory to find the best sportsbooks and recommendations on where to place MMA bets online. If you just want to play for fun, head over to our Fantasy MMA picks app to make your fight predictions for Charlie Ontiveros vs Gabriel Benítez totally FREE.
The AllStar also has a comprehensive MMA betting guide and MMA Odds Comparison tools to help you find the best online betting opportunities.
