Coach wants Henry Cejudo to rematch Joseph Benavidez next
Back in January, Henry Cejudo defended his flyweight title when he knocked out T.J. Dillashaw in 32 seconds.
Following the fight, it was expected that Cejudo would move up in weight to rematch Dillashaw for the bantamweight title. However, news came out on Tuesday that Dillashaw will be suspended for a year for ‘adverse findings’ in his pre-fight drug test sample.
Ultimately, Cejudo and his coach, Eric Albarracin are disappointed in the news as the rematch is unlikely to happen anytime soon.
“It ruined the rematch we were looking to get, the big rivalry, the money fight, shutting the critics up,” Albarracin said on MMA Junkie Radio. “A few people, including Dana White, thought it was an early stoppage. I didn’t think it was an early stoppage. I didn’t think it was – I was cageside and saw him go limp a couple of times.
“But we could have shut them up and get another belt, and that’s kind of out the window now.”
Now, the question remains of who will Cejudo fight next? He could stay at flyweight and attempt to defend his title against Joseph Benavidez. Or, he could move up to bantamweight and fight for the vacant title. But, if Albarracin has any choice, he would like to see Cejudo stay down and defend his flyweight title next where he would look to avenge his loss against Benavidez. The two fought back in 2016 where Benavidez won by split-decision.
“I don’t like just winning a vacant title,” he said. “To tell you the truth, I’d like to serve up some sweet revenge to Joe Benavidez. That was Henry’s last loss, so there’s a rivalry there.
“Those guys really were enemies on that show, and we ended up losing a very, very close decision. I would love to get that back, and this time, we won’t leave it to the judges.”
Who do you think Henry Cejudo should fight next?
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 3/22/2019
Topics:
Henry Cejudo Joseph Benavidez UFC
