“I haven’t thought about a hit list exactly right, but yeah, he’s (Henry Cejudo) on it”.
Henry Cejudo isn’t exactly high on T.J. Dillashaw’s list of priorities right now but the latter would like run it back with ‘Triple C’ at some point in the future.
Dillashaw was knocked out by Cejudo in a failed bid to capture the flyweight title in 2019 and, to make matters worse, the former bantamweight champion also tested positive for EPO and was subsequently suspended for two years by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
That suspension expired last month — Jan. 19, to be exact — however, and Dillashaw is expected to return to the octagon later this year.
TJ is currently focused on reclaiming his bantamweight title but the Bang Ludwig product would also like to avenge his loss to Cejudo, claiming that ‘The Messenger’ got ‘lucky’ in their first matchup at UFC Fight Night 143.
“I haven’t thought about a hit list exactly right, but yeah, he’s (Henry Cejudo) on it,” Dillashaw told retired UFC veteran Mike Swick on a recent episode of Real Quick (h/t Low Kick MMA). “Just you saying his name it’s like, ‘Oh god,’ you know? ‘The King of Cringe’ did a good job of being cringy. It’s one of those fights that I was so much better going into that fight — don’t take anything away from him [though]. I think he’s an amazing athlete for winning an Olympic gold medal. I give him more credit for being an Olympic gold medalist than I do winning a UFC championship and that’s something because I’ve wrestled my whole life, that is quite amazing. But I’m so much of a better fighter than him — well-rounded wise.“
“The way that his (Cejudo’s) career worked out and the way that he stepped away from it was just like, he got so lucky. So that’s a fight that I want back because I don’t think he’s as good as he thinks he is, so that’s for sure on my hit list. First and foremost, (the) hit list for me, is just getting my belt back. Whatever path I have to take to get there, if it’s fighting all the guys in the top-five first, if it’s going straight to the belt, and then making sure I defend it and make a statement.“
Dillashaw would ideally like an immediate title shot in his return bout, but the 35-year-old is also open to a title eliminator with anyone ranked in the top five.
Cejudo, 34, is currently retired. The former two-division champ laid down the gloves following his TKO victory over former WEC and UFC bantamweight king Dominick Cruz at UFC 249.