Henry Cejudo will again be down to just one belt.
Cejudo told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto on Thursday that he will relinquish his flyweight title in order to focus on defending his bantamweight belt. He specifically called out Jose Aldo as a potential next opponent but said he will fight “anybody and everybody at 135 pounds.”
“I’m going to relinquish the belt,” Cejudo told Okamoto. “UFC never stripped me. I want to relinquish the belt and focus on 135 pounds.
“I want to smash the so-called ‘King of Rio’ [Aldo], and anybody and everybody at 135 pounds. I saved the flyweight division, but they’re not saved from my wrath, because my name is still ‘Triple C.’ Allow me to remind anyone who has forgot, I am the Olympic, flyweight and bantamweight champion of the world.”
It became clear recently that Cejudo, 32, would not be defending the 125-pound title soon, so a decision was made to move on, sources said.
Joseph Benavidez will fight Deiveson Figueiredo for the vacant flyweight belt in the main event of UFC Norfolk on Feb. 29 in Virginia, sources confirmed to ESPN after a BJPenn.com report.
Cejudo has been out since UFC 238 with a shoulder injury. When asked for a time frame on defending his bantamweight title, he told Okamoto, “Talk to Uncle Dana White,” though sources told ESPN that Cejudo plans to return to the cage in the first half of 2020.
Cejudo (15-2) won the flyweight title by beating longtime champion Demetrious Johnson at UFC 227 on Aug. 4, 2018. Johnson had defended his title a UFC-record 11 consecutive times before Cejudo defeated him. The only time Cejudo defended the belt was against TJ Dillashaw at UFC Brooklyn in January, when Cejudo won by first-round knockout.
After that fight, Cejudo moved up to challenge for the vacant bantamweight title. He beat Marlon Moraes to win that belt at UFC 238 in June, making him a double champion. Cejudo was the seventh fighter in UFC history to win titles in different weight classes and just the fourth to do it while holding the belts concurrently.
“I am the 2019 Fighter of the Year,” Cejudo told Okamoto. “I beat a roided-up TJ Dillashaw in 32 seconds, and I beat the No. 1 contender up a weight class, the killer Marlon Moraes. I saved a whole damn weight division. So all you fat, bald reporters that don’t know anything about fighting better bend the knee before you vote for Fighter of the Year.”
Benavidez (28-5) is the most recent man to beat Cejudo, winning by split decision at the Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale on Dec. 3, 2016. Benavidez, 35, has won three straight fights. He is a perennial top contender in the 125-pound division, but has not gotten a title shot since 2013 because he lost twice to then-champ Johnson. ESPN has Benavidez ranked No. 3 in the world at flyweight.
Figueiredo (17-1) has won two straight, most recently a first-round submission victory over Tim Elliott at UFC Tampa in October. The Brazilian slugger has finished 14 of his 17 pro victories. Figueiredo, 31, is ranked No. 4 among MMA flyweights by ESPN.