Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
Henry Cejudo would rather stay at bantamweight to fight Frankie Edgar or Dominick Cruz instead of Joseph Benavidez next.
With top flyweight contender demanding answers from the division’s champion, Henry Cejudo has said he won’t be ‘forced’ by UFC president Dana White into fighting someone he doesn’t want too.
Cejudo, who is also the current UFC bantamweight champion, feels he has ‘leverage’ holding belts in two different divisions. With White keen on “The Messenger” dropping back down to 125-pounds to face Benavidez, who is unbeaten in three fights and has a win over Cejudo, the two-division champ told Brendan Schaub he won’t be forced into the fight.
“Dana can say what he wants, and he’s the president and what not, but when you own two weight classes, when you have some kingdoms, I think I have the leverage,” Cejudo said. “No one’s going to force me to fight someone that I don’t want.” (Transcription via MMA Junkie)
With the UFC’s bantamweight division heating up as former champions Frankie Edgar and Jose Aldo drop down to 135-pounds, Cejudo prefers the options at that weight class instead of making a tough 25-pound weight cut down to flyweight.
“I like Frankie Edgar. I like the Dominick Cruz right now,” Cejudo said. “That’s what’s jumping at me. As much as Joe does have a victory over me … but at the end of the day, it’s cutting the weight, man – especially being up at ’35 and then feeling good, and having a good camp, and just being more happy. Be more happy, literally – like, I cut 25 pounds to get down to ’25.
“I’m going to end up finishing my career at bantamweight, 100 percent.”