In the thick of training camp for his September 12th matchup with Ryan Garcia, Conor Benn revealed during an interview that the weight cut to 147-pounds is challenging, and stated this will be his last welterweight match.
The match between Garcia and Benn has been long in the making, but was unfortunately held up by negotiation disputes. It came as a surprise to some that this bout came together now, as after Benn signed with Zuffa most felt an agreement had never been further away given UFC CEO and Zuffa Promoter Dana White’s rocky relationship with Golden Boy Promotions and Oscar De La Hoya, who has Garcia under contract.
Back in February, Garcia went the full 12-round distance with Mario Barrios, securing the unanimous decision in the end. Earning the title at welterweight served as an excellent bounce-back victory, which Garcia was desperately in need of following his 2025 loss to Rolly Romero.
Meanwhile, Benn avenged his only loss to Chris Eubank Jr. with a unanimous decision victory in their rematch in 2025. This was followed by his most recent win over Regis Prograis back in April.
During his recent interview, Benn touched on the difficulty of the welterweight cut, and made it clear this will be his final fight at 147-pounds. But for now, he has one thing on his mind: winning the world title.
“It’s hard; it’s brutal. This is my last fight at 147. When I win the world title, I’ll move on. I haven’t made 147 for four years, so it’s challenging.”
“I went up to 183lbs for the Eubank fights.”