UFC 233 will no longer be headlined by TJ Dillashaw and Henry Cejudo for the flyweight title.
According to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, that fight has been moved to January 19 to headline ESPN+ in Brooklyn, New York. The UFC was hoping to start off the ESPN-era with a great card but struggled to find an adequate main attraction. After weeks of searching, they inevitably decided to move the Dillashaw vs. Cejudo Flyweight title fight to the January 19 fight card.
Henry Cejudo vs. TJ Dillashaw for the UFC flyweight title is the new UFC Brooklyn main event on Jan. 19, per multiple sources. The fight has been moved from UFC 233 to the ESPN+ debut. No word just yet on what will headline 233 on Jan. 26. Work in progress. Story coming to @espn.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 6, 2018
“Henry Cejudo vs. TJ Dillashaw for the UFC flyweight title is the new UFC Brooklyn main event on Jan. 19, per multiple sources. The fight has been moved from UFC 233 to the ESPN+ debut. No word just yet on what will headline 233 on Jan. 26. Work in progress,” Helwani tweeted.
Helwani reported earlier in the day that this was something the UFC was talking about, adding Henry Cejudo was open to the idea.
“Cejudo’s team tells me they are down, they like this idea,” Helwani said on Ariel and the Bad Guy. “They like the idea of fighting on the first ESPN card, big platform, big fight for them. Of course, defending the belt for the first time against T.J. who is moving down from 135.”
However, the UFC solved one problem but created another. They now have the main event for January 19, but no longer have a headliner for UFC 233. A possible option is to book Colby Covington vs Tyron Woodley for the welterweight title. Woodley did say on his TMZ show that he would fight Covington in either January or March.
Losing out on the flyweight title fight is a big blow to UFC 233. Ultimately, it is still a stacked card, but it now lacks a title fight. UFC 233 currently features Ben Askren’s UFC debut, Dominick Cruz’s return, and several other good fights. While the first ESPN+ card currently showcases the likes of Paige VanZant and Greg Hardy.
Who do you think should headline UFC 233?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 12/4/2018.