Midnight Mania! Dillashaw Wants To Rematch ‘Lucky’ Cejudo

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Back in January of 2019, TJ Dillashaw walked into the cage opposite Henry Cejudo with confidence, intent on building upon his legacy as a double-champ. Instead, Cejudo knocked him out in just 32 seconds. Before Dillashaw could spend too much time protesting the stoppage, he was popped by USADA for intentional use of EPO, costing him his Bantamweight title and sitting him on the sidelines for two full years.

Now, Dillashaw is free to return to action, and there’s a good deal of speculation regarding potential opponents. Corey Sandhagen has been targeting the former champion, but Dillashaw has mostly focused on trying to score an immediate title shot.

Doesn’t seem likely.

Speaking with Mike Swick on the Real Quick podcast, Dillashaw also expressed interest in rematching Cejudo, who remains in an odd state of semi-retirement.

“I haven’t thought about a hit list exactly right, but yeah, he’s (Henry Cejudo) on it,” Dillashaw said (transcription via LowKickMMA). “Just you saying his name it’s like, ‘Oh god,’ you know? ‘The King of Cringe’ did a good job of being cringy. It’s one of those fights that I was so much better going into that fight — don’t take anything away from him [though].

“I think he’s an amazing athlete for winning an Olympic gold medal,” Dillashaw continued. “I give him more credit for being an Olympic gold medalist than I do winning a UFC championship and that’s something because I’ve wrestled my whole life, that is quite amazing. But I’m so much of a better fighter than him — well-rounded wise.”

All in all, it doesn’t seem like Dillashaw has fully accepted the loss event regardless of his time away. “The way that his (Cejudo’s) career worked out and the way that he stepped away from it was just like, he got so lucky,” Dillashaw concluded. “So that’s a fight that I want back because I don’t think he’s as good as he thinks he is, so that’s for sure on my hit list.”

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