Henry Cejudo may not have finished Demetrious Johnson last night (Sat., Aug. 4, 2018) at UFC 227 live on pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., but the former Olympic gold medalist did enough to edge out “Mighty Mouse” and walk away with the undisputed UFC flyweight title.
The performance put forth by Cejudo was simply amazing considering Johnson had never lost at flyweight and was aiming to secure his 12th straight title defense. In defeating the pound-for-pound legend, Cejudo cements his legacy as a UFC champion and steals away the momentum for a Johnson vs. T. J. Dillashaw superfight, which has been talked about too much.
After his victory, Cejudo declared himself eligible to move up in weight and challenge Dillashaw at 135 pounds, especially after the UFC champion defended his bantamweight belt opposite Cody Garbrandt in UFC 227’s main event. Cejudo is looking to become a “triple champ” after taking out “Mighty Mouse” and believes a move to 135 would do him well.
“If you guys watch my fight look at how muscular, how much bigger I am than Demetrious Johnson,” said Cejudo during the post-fight press conference (full video replay here). “I’m a tank, man. I can easily fill out at 135 pounds and feel good.
“The other reason, too, they’ve always talked about T.J and D.J. superfight. They neglected Henry Cejudo in the promos. They neglected Henry Cejudo in practically everything. And I get it because America is all about winners. Now that I’m a winner, I’m asking. I’m an Olympic champ. I’m a UFC champ. And now I’m asking to be a triple champ.”
The newly minted flyweight king is open to the idea of T.J. Dillashaw moving down and challenging for the 125-pound title, but “Messenger” would rather move up for the sake of the record books.
“If he wants to come down we can talk, I’d rather go up,” added Cejudo. “I want to make history.”
After UFC 227 Dillashaw revealed he was disappointed in Johnson’s performance, but did say he believes “Mighty Mouse” should get an immediate rematch with Cejudo given his flyweight track record. That would essentially put Cejudo’s triple champ request to rest, although nothing is set in stone.
The end of TJ, DJ? Beginning of TJ, Henry? pic.twitter.com/ItJ48n6qxX
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) August 5, 2018
For now, the talk of superfights will continue to buzz. In today’s mixed martial arts (MMA), that’s simply par for the course. But if Dillashaw were to move down or if UFC decides it wants a champion vs. champion showdown at bantamweight, Cejudo must be involved.
Talk about a good time to upset the greatest fighter of all time.
For complete UFC 227 results and coverage click here.