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“If Henry wins…eight weeks later he said he wants to fight Aldo. If we can get Aldo, he’s gonna fight Aldo.”
Jose Aldo might have been forced out of his bantamweight title bout with Henry Cejudo at UFC 250, but ‘The Messenger’ has every intention of defending his title against ‘Scarface’ after he takes care of Dominick Cruz next month.
That’s according to Cejudo’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, who said Cejudo wants to face Aldo in eight weeks’ time.
“At the time we’re in, there’s no such thing as he deserves it or not,” Abdelaziz told MMA Junkie in a recent interview. “Listen, let’s be real: Aldo didn’t deserve this by the numbers and by the rankings, but what Aldo has done throughout his career, what Dominick Cruz has done throughout his career, what Frankie Edgar has done throughout his career, and if you want to take these legends, listen, if Henry wins … eight weeks later he said he wants to fight Aldo. If we can get Aldo, he’s gonna fight Aldo.”
“Still, the next opponent is Jose Aldo. It’s none of these other guys,” he added. “This is what he wants, and this is what’s a deal. He told the UFC, but I know Aldo has some travel issues or some visa issues, I don’t know. But also, how are you gonna say no to Aldo? This guy is one of the best lighter weights we’ve ever seen.”
Cejudo has faced criticism for avoiding top contenders, but ‘Triple C’ wants to build a resume of legends and former champions rather than defend his title against the likes of Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling, who are both ranked much higher than Cruz and Aldo.
Cejudo is expected to defend his bantamweight strap against Cruz at the UFC APEX Center on May 9, although the bout has yet to be confirmed.