Seattle – UFC bantamweight Henry Cejudo teased a return to flyweight as he gets set to headline UFC Seattle against Song Yadong on Saturday night.
“I got to cut the weight, but there is a potential thing that I could be going back down,” Cejudo told reporters including Cageside Press on Wednesday.
“With a victory here I don’t think there’s anybody at flyweight that could really sell the division. I think there’s too many dry people at that weight division. I feel like what I’ve done in combat sports, particularly the flyweights is saving that division back in 2020.”
Cejudo (16-4) says he saved the division when UFC CEO Dana White wanted to take it off the roster as a whole. He carried the mantle at 125 for a while, and now it’s flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja’s responsibility.
Cejudo meant it’s part of Pantoja’s job as champion to create storylines and keep the division interesting.
“I love Pantoja, and that’s another thing too. I spent New Year’s…like I’m super close to Pantoja. He’s a great fighter. When I became champion it was my responsibility,” he said.
“It was my responsibility when I talked to Dana. They were going to get rid of the division. He told me ‘hey man I just want to let you know that I’m going to grant you your decision’. After I beat Demetrious (Johnson) I wanted to go up.”
Cejudo did end up moving up to 135 to become a two-division world champion, but he still did not want to let 125 die. The storyline, according to Cejudo, was Johnson vs. TJ Dillashaw who was looking to move down to 125 for a shot at a second title. Cejudo had other plans.
“I said ‘I’m going to beat this dude and I’m challenging the winner of Cody (Garbrandt) and TJ. Exactly what happened. (Dana said) ‘we’re going to grant you, but we’re going to get rid of the division.’ I remember my heart just sunk,” he said.
“It just didn’t feel right. I said ‘let’s bring him (Dillashaw) down’. So TJ wanted to go down. I’m just like ‘let’s give him what he wants’. So beat him at 125 and then go up to 35 and then do it again.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Henry Cejudo above. He takes on Song Yadong at UFC Seattle on Saturday night.
