Henry Cejudo vs. T.J. Dillashaw official for UFC 233:
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| Can Dillashaw make 125lbs without becoming seriously compromised? |
Despite the recent rumblings speculating that the UFC are poised to dissolve the promotion's Men's Flyweight division before the end of the year, we are set for an apparent last title fight, with recently crowned champion Henry 'The Messenger' Cejudo meeting current Bantamweight gold holder T/J Dillashaw for the 125lbs title at UFC 233, with the latter attempting to join Conor McGregor and Daniel Cormier as the organisation's only other 'Champ Champ'. All roads seemed to point to a move up to Bantamweight for Cejudo after he outscored newly signed ONE FC Flyweight Demetrious Johnson to end his lengthy spell as division king, with the premise of holding the accolade of the greatest combat sports athlete in history the catalyst, adding to his Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medal in Beijing in 2008 and his current 125lbs strap. Dillashaw was eager to contest for the title when 'Mighty Mouse' was still the best Flyweight in the world, but the record holder for most title defences in UFC history was skeptical whether or not the Denver, Colorado based striker was capable of cutting to the 125lbs limit, rightfully so considering how shredded he is when he steps on the scales ten pounds heavier.
Henry Cejudo's quest for his premier MMA title was nothing short of blistering and quite spectacular. Falling out of love with wrestling after claiming gold at the Olympic Games, Cejudo began his professional career just five years ago. An April 2016 pairing with DJ ultimately proved too much too soon for the Arizona native as he was stopped with knees from the clinch early in the first. A rather dubious decision defeat to Joseph Benavidez soon followed, forcing Cejudo to climbs the ranks once more. A well rounded and notably karate styled Cejudo met Wilson Reis in his Octagon return and showed eye catching striking to finish the submission specialist in the early stages of the second round. Next for Henry Cejudo was a title eliminator against Sergio Pettis, out pointing the tricky youngster to set up a second title tilt. Cejudo ate an early leg kick from Johnson and described how a trapped nerve led to his hobble throughout the round, similar to Michael Chandler's injury in his premier clash with Bellator Ligthweight champion Brent Primus. 'The Messenger' executed takedown after takedown to narrowly outpoint Demetrious Johnson, and immediately issued an open challenge to Dillashaw, who fought Cody Garbrandt in the the main event later that night.
Former Team Alpha Male protégé T.J. Dillashaw fought through a hell fire to eventually reclaim his Bantamweight crown after his controversial loss to Dominick Cruz in early 2016. Now under the tutelage of Duane 'Bang' Ludwig, T.J. has evolved into an incredibly poised striker and has based his camps at high altitude in Denver. Brazil's Raphael Assuncao was first in line for Dillashaw who avenged his decision defeat to the well rounded contender before meeting Raphael's compatriot John Lineker at UFC 207, breaking the heavy hitter's jaw on his way to a so far unmatched dominant win over the Paraná favourite. A clash with sworn enemy and then champ Cody Garbrandt at UFC 217 was booked, and despite getting dropped in the final seconds of the first round, T.J. stumbled back to his stool and managed to sneak a left hight kick to sit Cody on his butt in the second before clipping him badly in a later exchange and reclaiming his title with ground and pound. A rematch with Cody was booked for UFC 227 and a wild Garbrandt once more left his chin exposed and paid the price with his consciousness as Dillashaw finished him in the opening round.
UFC 233 is certainly hotting up as we approach the end of the year, with Cejudo and Dillashaw expected to headline a card which features the return of Dominick Cruz against the aforementioned Lineker, the UFC bow of Ben Askren as he meets Robbie Lawler, Lightweight clashes between James Vick and Paul Felder and Russia's Islam Makhachev meets Brazil's Francisco Trinaldo. The promotional debut of the highly regarded former KSW champion Ariane Lipski will occur as well, as Joanne Calderwood welcomes her to the Octagon. An exciting Women's Bantamweight bout between Marion Reneau and Yana Kunitskaya has also been booked for January 26th at the Honda Centre.
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