Bantamweight Division Moving On Without Cejudo
It looks like we are set for a post-Henry Cejudo world in the UFC.
Cejudo shocked many when he announced that he would be retiring from the sport following his second-round TKO win over Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 earlier this month.
And that looks to be the case as Cejudo is no longer present in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings as of Sunday. In addition, he isn’t atop the bantamweight rankings either with the title currently being vacant.
Assuming that truly confirms Cejudo’s retirement, that means a new champion will have to be crowned in a vacant title fight. UFC president Dana White has already stated that Petr Yan would be one of the men competing should the be the case. Who he would face is the more interesting question.
While Aljamain Sterling — currently on a four-fight winning streak — would be the natural pick, he is close to finalizing a non-title bout with Cory Sandhagen for UFC 250 on June 6.
That would leave Yan’s original UFC Kazakhstan opponent in Marlon Moraes as an option, though he lost his attempt at the vacant title last June when he suffered a third-round TKO defeat to Cejudo. Of course, there is also Jose Aldo who was originally scheduled to face Cejudo for the title until travel restrictions prevented him from competing.
Given that both him and Yan are based outside the United States, it could be a potential Fight Island fight involving the pair should they collide for the vacant strap.
For now, all we can do is wait for more updates.
