Current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw will make the drop down to Flyweight to challenge division champion, Henry Cejudo, at UFC 233 on January 26, 2019 in Anaheim, California, despite talks of the promotion doing away with the weight class.
According to “Viper,” the 125-pound weight class won’t be done until after he defeats “The Messenger,” as he says the promotion paid him plenty of cash to put the division out to pasture.
“UFC wants to get rid of the division and they hired me to go down and close it and get another belt in the process. It’s a win-win for me, man. They are paying me a fuck load of money to kill the 125 division and collect a second belt. It’s game time,” said T.J. during a recent interview on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show.
According to Cejudo, he is looking at facing Dillashaw for his 135-pound strap in an immediate rematch once he defeats him in Anaheim. It’s simply not an option, says T.J., as he says “The Messenger” won’t have nothing to offer him come fight night. In fact, T.J. wants Henry to bring his Olympic gold medal with him to Anaheim and hand it over to him once he beats him at his own game.
“I just want to continue to grow my legacy, as I believe I’m the best fighter on earth right now. By doing what I am doing right now I am going to be able to prove it. TO be able to have a belt in both weight classes, he said.”
Of course I am disappointed I didn’t get to fight Demetrious Johnson (because of this), but now I get to beat a gold medalist. I am going to beat him at his own game, too. I will go out there and I will wrestle him. So he should bring that gold medal to the Octagon so I can take his belt and his gold medal.”
Bold.
Should Cejudo come up short against T.J. and a rematch not be granted, “The Messenger” could look for a way out of his UFC commitments and bolt to ONE Championship if his financial desires aren’t full-filled by the Endeavor-owned promotion.
Because apparently ONE Championship has no problem paying boatloads of cash to acquire new talent, while UFC is apparently paying up to get rid of some.