Well, that's that. It's been over a year since there was any normality in the flyweight division. Henry Cejudo defends the belt against T.J. Dillashaw then never again, holding up the division for a year. Then, an attempt earlier this year to find a new flyweight champion by matching the No. 1 and No. 2 of the division, Deveison Figueiredo and Joseph Benavidez, ended in missed weight and a controversial TKO that only prolonged the drama.

Taking all of this into account, there was no real expectation of finality coming from their five-months-later rematch at UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2, especially when Figueiredo tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this week.

But the beauty of the fight game is that surprises are always around the corner, and in less than a round, Figueiredo dismantled Benavidez and left absolutely no doubters. He is the champion, he is the best flyweight in the world.

Within moments of the bell sounding, Figueiredo clocked Benavidez with hard right, sending the veteran to the ground – just as in their first fight. Only this time, he pounced on the downed fighter and tried to administer a rear naked choke. Benavidez spent most of the round valiantly struggling out of it and finally wall-walked his way back to his feet.

Only to get smashed back down with 90 second left, and then for a third and final time with 45 second remaining. Figueiredo smelled blood – figuratively and literally as he had busted his opponent open pretty badly in the very first exchange – and rained down blows from top position before transitioning into the choke he was looking for at the start. This time he got it and Benavidez went unconscious.

It was a performance befitting a man who wants to silence the critics but also one that is incredibly unique for the division. Flyweights aren't known for their power, so the sight of Figueiredo putting Benavidez on the mat three times with single punches as well as doing significant damage with his intense strikes on the ground shows he is a rare breed.

It was also a performance fueled by bad blood. Speaking before the event, Benavidez said in an interview with ESPN that "what I felt after the last fight and the way it went about, not necessarily in the most fair way, it just makes me actually want to hurt him." Those comments must have fired up Figueiredo who said after his victory that "I said I was going to break Benavidez" and that's precisely what he did.

As for Benavidez, it's difficult to see where he goes next. The veteran has now lost all four of his title attempts, each one slightly more clearcut than the last; this one in particular was not only totally one sided, it's also his first ever submission loss. At 35, his options are limited. Post-fight, he said he's "not going out like this," so he believes career isn't over even if his championship dreams are.