We may not get Henry Cejudo vs. T.J. Dillashaw II after all.
Last month, the former Bantamweight Champion stated during an interview with MMA Junkie that he was told by officials that he could get a title shot once his suspension was up, which will be on January 18, 2021. It will be the two-year anniversary of their first encounter that saw Cejudo successfully defend the flyweight title against Dillashaw at UFC Fight Night 143.
Before Dillashaw tested positive for EPO, the two were originally scheduled for a rematch, but this time for the UFC Bantamweight Championship; however, the 34-year-old was forced to relinquish the belt and Cejudo went on to defeat Marlon Moraes to become the new 135-pound champion.
This weekend, Cejudo is set to defend the title against Dominick Cruz; however, the 33-year-old was questioned on whether he would be willing to fight Dillashaw again and the former two-division champion makes it clear that he has no interest in squaring off against the former Bantamweight Champion (Transcript courtesy of MMA Junkie):
“People will never know until you’re cheated on,” Cejudo told reporters during Thursday’s UFC 249 virtual media day. “It’s an honor to fight somebody in the octagon. I almost feel embarrassed. I feel dirty even talking about T.J. I don’t think there’s anything in my heart that I even want to fight that dude. When you shake hands with somebody and you guys go out to compete and next thing you know he’s on some (expletive) like EPO where you can’t get tired, the same thing that Lance Armstrong was on, I don’t think I ever want to fight that dude again. I truly mean that.
“He’s got to get his mind right, he’s got to be fair. He’s got to go through the line, who knows how long he’s been doing this for. It’s unfortunate, but that’s just my honest to God – that’s just what I feel deep inside my ‘Triple C,’ what ‘Triple C’ feels deep inside. I don’t even know if I could stand next to him and do a staredown. It’s false. I feel weird saying all those bad things, but you’re asking me and I’m going to tell you how I feel.”