Megan Olivi has garnered a following for her immense contribution as a reporter for the UFC. A fan-favorite part of the broadcast team, many may not be aware that Olivi is in a long-term relationship. As such, here is the story of how Megan met her husband, Joseph Benavidez.
For those unaware, Megan is one of the UFC’s best reporters and has been a part of the UFC since 2010. Prior to her work in mixed martial arts, Olivi is said to have studied at Fordham University, where she completed her Master’s degree in broadcast journalism. Ahead of her graduation, Megan laid eyes upon her to-be husband for the first time.
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In an interview, Olivi opened up about how she met Joseph and how she knew that he was the one. Initially, the two met for the first time in 2009 and stayed in touch as good friends. Speaking about their first interaction, she said, “He asked for my email at the end of the night after we met. He’s like “Do you have email?” and I was like, “Yeah bro, I have email.” So we just sort of emailed, and then we’d talk on the phone, and those months turned into over a year, and then I got a job offer in Las Vegas”.
Moving to Las Vegas, Olivi soon became a part of the UFC and absolutely loved her job. Notably, Olivi co-hosted the UFC Preshow Fight Day. Fortunately for Olivi, Joseph was not too far away in Sacramento, allowing their relationship to blossom even further. Calling Joseph “the funniest, most caring, confident-in-himself-but-selfless person you could ever meet”, Olivi was very appreciative of his support.
How long has Megan Olivi been married to Joseph Benavidez?
As for Benavidez himself, he had been fighting in the WEC and then the UFC for a while. Notably, the former flyweight fighter was a title challenger and one of the highest-ranked fighters in his division. Moreover, Benavidez was one of the few elite fighters to have secured a win over Henry Cejudo. Unfortunately for Benavidez, he was denied the flyweight title on two occasions by Deiveson Figueiredo and Demetrious Johnson each.
Over the years, Megan has been ringside for Joseph’s fights and has admittedly found it to be a frightening experience. Fortunately, Joseph decided to call time on his illustrious career in 2021 at UFC 259. The 39-year-old faced Askar Askarov on the occasion and lost to a unanimous decision.
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All things considered, Megan and Joe have had a unique relationship where they’ve been on different paths yet tied together by the sport of MMA. Talking about living together, Mgan said, “Joe and I were friends and we lived across the country but we talked a lot or sent each other jokes or whatever. We never lived together until we got married and so that foundation was communication and it was built on trust”.
For those unaware, Megan Olivi has been with the four-time flyweight title challenger Benavidez since 2009. The couple dated for five years before getting engaged in 2014 and reportedly tied the knot the following year. Currently, Olivi and Benavidez do not have any children and it is unknown whether they plan to in the foreseeable future.