UFC president Dana White wouldn’t be surprised if “champ-champ” Henry Cejudo defends his bantamweight gold first.
Cejudo captured the bantamweight gold earlier this month. “Triple C” earned a third-round TKO victory over Marlon Moraes in the main event of UFC 238. Cejudo was already the flyweight champion going into the bout. While White has said that the men’s 125-pound division will stick around, Cejudo’s surgery could leave both the flyweight and bantamweight divisions at a standstill.
Speaking to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, White said that it’s difficult for a two-division champion to defend gold in both weight classes if injuries get in the way:
“The question is if you find the right guy, which I believe that Henry is just like I believe Amanda could defend both belts that she has, it’s about staying healthy. There’s no question this guy could do it. After that fight with Marlon, wow, blown away by the performance that he had. And he can defend both, but you can’t if you’re not healthy.”
When asked what he thinks Cejudo will do when he recovers, White said he feels “Triple C” will look to avoid a tough weight cut.
“I feel like he just beat a killer at [135 pounds]. Marlon Moraes, if you look at what he’s done in his last four fights leading up to the Cejudo fight, the guy is an absolute stud. And the way that Cejudo handled him, I think Cejudo probably boosted his confidence in that fight and why cut that weight if you can stay there? I don’t know that for a fact, I’m just saying.”
Which title do you think Henry Cejudo will defend first upon his return? Sound off in the comments.
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 6/27/2019.