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Reigning UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo was scheduled to make his first 135-pound title defense against former featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo, but “Junior” got stuck in Brazil when the coronavirus pandemic prevented him (and several other local fighters) from obtaining a travel visa.
Fortunately for fight fans, ex-bantamweight titleholder Dominick Cruz came off the bench to pinch hit at the upcoming UFC 249 pay-per-view (PPV) event this weekend in Jacksonville, Florida, but that doesn’t mean Cejudo is going to leave Aldo high and dry once the world returns to normal.
Even if “Triple C” is the one who has to “bend the knee.”
“I told Dana White, I’ll take this fight with Dominick Cruz but I don’t want to leave Jose ‘Baldo’ off the hook,” Cejudo told TMZ Sports. “If I have to marry him to fight him, then I will do that. I will literally marry the dude to take the dude out. He’s having visa issues … I will get on one knee to beat his ass.”
Let’s hope Cejudo remembers to consummate the marriage.
Originally booked for UFC 250 in Sao Paulo, the Cejudo-Aldo booking faced heavy criticism when it was put together earlier this year, simply because “Junior” leapfrogged the likes of Aljamain Sterling and Cory Sandhagen, among others, despite coming off a loss to Marlon Moraes in his lone appearance at 135 pounds.
Fortunately for Aldo, who only needs a week of training to capture the crown, he may not be required to tie the knot to get across the border, as the promotion is creating “Fight Island” for international athletes unable to enter the United States during the global quarantine.