UFC double champion Henry Cejudo is a man a lot of his peers want to fight.
The reigning flyweight and bantamweight king may be currently sidelined, recovering from long overdue shoulder surgery, but both Joseph Benavidez and Urijah Faber have called out the Olympic gold medalist to fight for both respective championships.
Cejudo himself called out a number of renowned bantamweight fighters after claiming the UFC belt against Marlon Moraes at UFC 238 in June, including the aforementioned Faber, Dominick Cruz and Cody Garbrandt.
But it appears UFC president Dana White wants Cejudo to return to the flyweight division first.
“You’d have to look at [Joseph Benavidez]….Next he should defend that [flyweight] title. So he would go to 125 defend that title, then we would decide who he would fight next,” White told TMZ Sports. [H/T Sherdog]
“Cejudo’s hurt. I’ve got to see what’s next for Henry Cejudo,” White said, admitting it is a matchmaking preference, rather than a fight set in stone. “You don’t know what fights you can make until everybody’s healthy and back.”
Benavidez is fresh off an impressive win over Jussier Formiga at UFC on ESPN 3 at the end of June and has won nine of his last 10 fights.
Benavidez also happens to be a two-time UFC flyweight title contender and holds a split decision win over Cejudo, becoming heated rivals after coaching opposing teams on The Ultimate Fighter season 24.
While Benavidez seems to be White’s front-runner, he was still very impressed by Faber’s victory in his hometown of Sacramento last weekend.
A future fight between Faber and Cejudo could be in offing, as White believes Cejudo is the kind of fighter capable to carry both flyweight and bantamweight divisions.
“I think that as long as Cejudo is willing to defend both titles, he’s a guy that could carry both of them,” White said.
