Henry Cejudo explains when he knew his UFC flyweight title defense against T.J. Dillashaw, which ended in just 32 seconds, was over at UFC on EPSN+ 1.
Henry Cejudo was quick to shut down the idea that Saturday’s title defense against T.J. Dillashaw was stopped prematurely.
Cejudo knocked out Dillashaw 32 seconds into the first round, recording his first UFC flyweight title defense. Dillashaw still holds the bantamweight championship, but unsuccessfully became a double champion against Cejudo, a fight that headlined UFC on ESPN+ 1 in Brooklyn, New York.
Dillashaw and UFC president Dana White were not thrilled with referee Kevin MacDonald’s decision to stop the fight, but Cejudo doesn’t think it was at all controversial.
“It was a great stoppage because I felt his body go limp,” Cejudo said at the event’s post-fight press conference (transcript via MMA Fighting). “You guys have to understand I weighed in at 146 pounds when I fought him. Strong, and you could see it. Every blow that he took, he was eating some hammers. Personally, I thought it was a good stoppage because he was going to take another 10, 20 hits.
“I saw he was hurt since the beginning, I thought it was that kick that really kind of rattled him. I’m going to have to re-watch that fight, but I could tell, I saw him going limp, I saw his body changing. I shoved him down. If you shove somebody down, they’re hurt. If I do this to you and you’re just (acts dazed), come on.”
Cejudo said after the fight that he would like to move up to 135 pounds to challenge Dillashaw for his title in a rematch, but Dillashaw said afterward that he is interested in a rematch at 125 pounds. As of now, it’s still unclear for how much longer the flyweight division will exist in the UFC. With that in mind, and the fact that Cejudo gave Dillashaw a chance to become a champ champ, Cejudo wants a shot at that feat as well.
“I feel like now, it’s okay guys, I think I have the right to say, ‘Hey, give me a shot. Allow me to keep this belt at 125 pounds. You can get your rematch, but let’s do it at 135 pounds. Give me a shot now,’” Cejudo said.