Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Bantamweight Rani Yahya does not think Henry Cejudo will stick around for much too long as the UFC’s 135 champion.
Bantamweight veteran Rani Yahya believes that current champion Henry Cejudo might not be too far away from losing his other belt. Paired up to take on Enrique Barzola at UFC Brasilia, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt feels like ‘Triple C’ will lose his other belt to some of the top contenders in the division, after having the UFC take Cejudo’s flyweight one due to inactivity.
In an interview with Combate, Yahya gave his opinion on the current state of the UFC’s bantamweight division, where he shared his feelings about some of its top contenders, such as Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling, being superior fighters.
“Cejudo showed a lot of heart in that fight against Marlon (Moraes), and I do think that Marlon defeated (Jose) Aldo when they fought, so I don’t understand why they’re moving towards having Aldo fight for the belt. It’s going to be a profitable fight, but I think Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling would be more fitting, because they got some good wins lately. Anyway, I think Cejudo will soon fall. I think he’s pretty good and knows how to win fights, but this division has better guys than him.”
In his last outing, Yahya (26-10-1 NC) dropped a unanimous decision to Ricky Simon, back in February 2019. Before the loss, the 35-year-old was on a three-fight winning streak, with submission wins over Henry Briones, Russell Doane and Luke Sanders.
Now, Yahya is expected to take on Enrique Barzola at UFC Fight Night 170, in Brasilia, Brazil, on March 14. Although there is no official main event for the card just yet, a co-main event bout between welterweights Demian Maia and Gilbert Burns has been reported to be in the works for the same night.