Henry Cejudo has commented following TJ Dillashaw’s return to the Octagon.
Dillashaw went one-on-one with Cory Sandhagen in the main event of UFC Vegas 32. This was Dillashaw’s first bout since his January 2019 loss to Cejudo. That’s because Dillashaw was serving a two-year sanction handed down by USADA for EPO use.
Despite the inactivity, Dillashaw engaged in a thrilling five-round war with Sandhagen. In the end, it was Dillashaw who emerged victorious via split decision. He has seemingly made a case for the winner of the Oct. 30 bantamweight title rematch between champion Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan.
Despite the victory, Cejudo’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, is not impressed.
“I’m sorry, Henry Cejudo KO this guy very easy. I don’t care what everyone saying.”
Cejudo responded, claiming it would be déjà vu if a rematch were to be booked.
“Easy money for me! I was generous to give him a 32-second beat down. I won’t be so generous next time!”
Cejudo last competed back in May 2020. He successfully defended the UFC Bantamweight Title against Dominick Cruz, winning the fight via second-round TKO. After the bout, Cejudo announced his retirement. Since that time, Cejudo has made it clear that the right fight for the right price could entice him to make a return.
At the time Cejudo and Dillashaw shared the Octagon, Cejudo was the UFC Flyweight Champion, while Dillashaw held the bantamweight gold. Dillashaw was moving down to 125 pounds in order to challenge Cejudo and chase “Champ-Champ” status. When Cejudo stopped Dillashaw in just 32 seconds, the thought was that it was Cejudo who would now fight Dillashaw at 135 pounds to become a dual titleholder.
Once Dillashaw popped for EPO, the bantamweight title was vacated. Cejudo scored a TKO victory over Marlon Moraes to capture the 135-pound gold and solidify himself as a “Champ-Champ.