Henry Cejudo doesn’t wish to see UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili rematch Sean O’Malley.
Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) dethroned O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) to grow to be 135-pound champion at UFC 306. He then retained his title by handing Umar Nurmagomedov his first loss at UFC 311.
Dvalishvili said he’s open to running things back with O’Malley next, an option Dana White gave the impression to be on board with prior to UFC 311. Nevertheless, Cejudo has another option in mind.
“I believe that’s silly,” Cejudo told “Home of Fight” on a Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley rematch. “It’s not like O’Malley is a pay-per-view king. His fights don’t do sh*t, man. I believe the individual that they need to give him is (Cory) Sandhagen.
“That fight with Sandhagen makes a variety of sense. Sandhagen could potentially beat him. … Sandhagen is difficult. I still think Merab beats him, but he has the tools to essentially shut out Merab’s freaking lights. That’s the cool thing about it.”
Former UFC dual-champion Cejudo (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) will look to re-enter the title picture himself when he takes on Song Yadong (21-8-1 MMA, 10-3-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 252 (ESPN+) headliner at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.
“My original goal after I got here back after having a three-year layoff, I actually did wish to win that third division with (Alexander) Volkanovski,” Cejudo said. “That was the entire intention of coming back. I get bored. There’s one thing that I understood nearly my history or who I’m: Dude, I’m an important competitor, but I believe I like to beat and move on.
“That was the unique plan of my comebacks. I’m a child that dreams big. I’ve got lofty goals. I’ve at all times been different, and I’ve at all times desired to challenge myself. I’ll be joyful simply to strap on one other belt and say I did it again or know that I did it again.”
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