- Demetrious Johnson picks his winner between Aljamain Sterling and T.J. Dillashaw
- “Mighty Mouse” thinks Henry Cejudo would have to wait if he wants to jump straight to title contention
Demetrious Johnson is no longer with the UFC but he certainly knows how to become a champion and stay as a champion in the promotion. In a recent interview with The Schmo, the former UFC flyweight champion shared his Aljamain Sterling vs. T.J. Dillashaw prediction at UFC 280.
It’s Aljo’s time
For “Mighty Mouse,” Dillashaw has already proven himself but the way Sterling is looking and fighting at this point, he is certain “Funk Master” will win.
“I look at T.J. Dillashaw and he’s gone through a lot of wars… [but] I feel like, Aljamain Sterling, he’s coming through his own right now,” Johnson said. “He seems healthy, he seems big, he seems to embrace being a backpack. He knows what he’s good at, right? He looked really good when he fought Petr Yan…The biggest thing is I give the edge to Aljamain Sterling. The only reason why is because I feel like when I look at him, he seems healthy, he seems happy, he’s embracing this backpack role. And when you see an athlete embracing a certain role, it makes them more dangerous.”
Henry might have to wait
After more than two years, Henry Cejudo is back in the USADA pool, eyeing an epic UFC return. While nothing is concrete yet, “Triple C” has been busy working on his media channels and was previously training Johnson.
Cejudo took part in Johnson’s training camp for his latest fight at ONE Championship and now, “Mighty Mouse” weighs in on “Triple C’s” looming UFC comeback.
Though Cejudo left the UFC as a champion, Johnson still thinks the promotion couldn’t just hand the former double-champ a title shot, especially with how stacked the bantamweight division is right now.
“It’s hard man, there’s so many good guys in the 135-pound division, you got ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley taking on Petr Yan. These guys are putting in the work. Working for that title shot,” Johnson told The Schmo. “[I’m] not saying Henry Cejudo isn’t, I mean he’s retired, he’s doing his own content, he’s back on the USADA pool. He’s slowly getting…I mean he’s in shape, I’ve trained with him.”
“It all depends on what Henry wants to do right? I tell all the time, ‘Henry, do you want to fight? And work your way up to the title or you just want to get into the title shot? If you want the title shot, you’re waiting at the back [of the line] and call the UFC’,” he continued.
Triple C is Triple C
Based on the current bantamweight division, Chito Vera, Cory Sandhagen, and the winner between Petr Yan and Sean O’Malley are all favorites to be the next title contender. But on the other hand, Johnson is not ruling out the power of Cejudo’s legacy, adding:
“There are other guys ahead of Cejudo who have been working towards it. If Henry Cejudo gets a title shot, it’s because of his accolades and him being who he is, ‘Triple C.’”
Cejudo’s last trip to the octagon happened at UFC in May 2020 where he TKO’d Dominick Cruz. Though Cruz is still a top-10 bantamweight at present, it’s hard to tell if Cejudo’s past performances are enough to make him a rightful title contender.
Aside from the bantamweight, Cejudo has also expressed his desire to compete for the featherweight title and become a three-weight champion. Whatever the future holds for “Triple C,” it’s gonna be exciting for sure.
