Perhaps the biggest topic of discussion heading into the flyweight championship main event of tomorrow night’s (Sat., January 19, 2019) UFC on ESPN+ 1 from Brooklyn, New York, was bantamweight champ TJ Dillashaw’s weight cut.
Dillashaw cut down to 125 pounds for the first time in his UFC career to face Henry Cejudo for the opportunity to become the fourth simultaneous two-division champion in UFC history. His ability (or perceived lack thereof) to make the 25-pound title fight limit was doubted by many. Dillashaw was spotted looking thin but shredded on his journey down to flyweight, prompting even more speculation. He always said the cut was going well, but fighters almost never state it is not in public.
Cejudo’s manager claimed ‘The Messenger’ wouldn’t face Dillashaw if he missed weight. The flyweight king even went as far as to insist ‘The Viper’ looked like Pee-Wee Herman. That’s a strong pop culture reference rarely seen anymore from Cejudo. But for all of the hullabaloo, today, Dillashaw quieted his many critics with an emphatic statement nonetheless.
Dillashaw was the first fighter on the scales at the UFC on ESPN+ 1 early weigh-ins this morning. He made weight by a wide margin, coming in at 124.6 pounds. Watch him weigh in here via MMAjunkie:
Quieted His Doubters – For Now:
‘The Viper’ has more than proved his haters wrong here. He proved he can make flyweight with ease
But you may still argue that the true test of Dillashaw’s weight cut will shine through in the actual fight.
And it’d be tough to say you were wrong.
Dillashaw undoubtedly looks gaunt and drawn in his weigh-in despite the rousing success because of it. How much that affects his knockout power at bantamweight will be revealed in Brooklyn. It’s important to note that Cejudo is a big flyweight who has had his issues with making weight himself in the past.
Should Dillashaw win another belt, it would only extend his legacy as quite possibly the greatest bantamweight to ever fight in the UFC. Dominick Cruz certainly belongs in that conversation, but Dillashaw could also easily pass him soon. If he loses, well, his critics will certainly point to his weight cut. Maybe he will perform at a lower level due to the much bigger cut. We see that all the time in the UFC.
He’ll have no easy test in Cejudo, yet it seems ‘The Viper’ has already passed the biggest test by making weight with ease. We don’t know if Dillashaw will defeat Cejudo. But one thing is already true: TJ Dillashaw can successfully make flyweight, and it wasn’t close.
We’ll see if that helps him or hurts him when he meets ‘The Messenger’ in New York tomorrow night.
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