Before Henry Cejudo attempts to defend his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight title for the first time ever against T.J. Dillashaw at UFC on ESPN+ 1 on Jan. 19, 2019 in Brooklyn, N.Y., let’s take a look back at how “The Messenger” became champion.
Back in August, Cejudo found himself locked in the cage with Demetrious Johnson at UFC 227 once again, hoping that the second time around would be the key to taking down “Mighty Mouse.” Two years prior, Johnson had knocked out Henry in the very fist round, so “The Messenger” had plenty of time to think about and learn from his mistakes.
And he did just that, as he played the patient attack game though five rounds of action to secure a unanimous decision win over the longest reigning champion in the history of the promotion, handing Johnson his first loss in six years.
With Johnson bolting for ONE Championship, Cejudo looks to keep the division alive — literally — as he will look to make all Flyweights proud by taking out the current bantamweight champion. The win will go a long way in determining whether or not the 125-pound division stays or goes.
It won’t be easy, as Dillashaw has dreams of joining the exclusive champ-champ club by collecting his second belt in as many divisions simultaneously.
To see who else is competing at UFC on ESPN+ 1 “Cejudo vs Dillashaw” click here.