Back in the old days, being ranked No. 1 in the world actually meant something.
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) flyweight champion Henry Cejudo, who also wore gold at 135 pounds, remains unimpressed with the level of competition in his former weight class, which is currently ruled by division kingpin Deiveson Figueiredo.
“The only reason why Deiveson Figueiredo’s there is because of me,” Cejudo told The Schmo (via MMA Fighting). “To me, he’s the lord of nothing. I’m the one that gave him that position. I’m allowing him to babysit my belt and he’s being a pretty good babysitter in my eyes.”
Figueiredo (20-1) will defend his 125-pound title against No. 1-ranked flyweight contender Brandon Moreno (18-5-1) at the upcoming UFC 256 pay-per-view (PPV) main event, scheduled for Sat., Dec. 12, 2020 inside APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“All you have to do with a guy like Deiveson Figueiredo is make him grapple for that first round because he’s cutting a lot of weight,” Cejudo continued. “By the time that second, third round hits he’s gonna start having that heavy muscle. So I’m actually gonna pick Brandon Moreno — which, he sucks too — but I’m gonna pick him to beat Deiveson Figueiredo.”
Cejudo (16-2) retired from UFC after stopping Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 back in May, but has kept himself in the headlines by calling for fights that aren’t gonna happen. I suppose that’s easier than getting back into the cage against a wrecking ball like Figueiredo.