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Reigning UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo is confident about defeating former champion Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 and has his plans for the future all sorted, and that includes a shot at the UFC featherweight title. If he's able to win the featherweight title, Cejudo will be the first man in UFC history to become a "Triple Champ", having already won the flyweight and bantamweight titles,
Cejudo was initially booked to fight Jose Aldo at UFC 250 in the latter's hometown Rio de Janeiro before the ongoing coronavirus pandemic led to international travel restrictions, prevented the Brazilian from traveling to the United States for the time being. That’s when UFC veteran Cruz got the opportunity to fight Cejudo and reclaim what was once his.
During Tuesday’s UFC 249 media conference call, Cejudo revealed his plans to beat Cruz on May 9 and then defend the title against former featherweight champion Aldo; post which he intends to throw down with Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title. for his next title defense.
“I told Uncle Dana [White] after I beat up ‘Dominique’ I’m going to be stomping on Jose Baldo’s toes next. After that, Alexander Volkanovski, that overgrown midget, he’s next.”
"Wait in line", Cejudo tells bantamweight challengers
UFC bantamweights Aljamain Sterling, Petr Yan, and Cory Sandhagen have all demanded a crack at Cejudo's title in the past, and in terms of rankings, they should've been ahead of Cruz in the order. However, Cejudo has his way, believes all three of them must "wait in line" and pick up a few wins before challenging him for the title.
“I’m going tell them to wait for their chance. Wait for their king to tell them to bend the knee. Aljamain Sterling got knocked out by the guy that I knocked out. Wait in line. Then Petr Yan, you can’t beat a 41-year-old (Urijah Faber) and expect to get a title shot. That’s just ridiculous. I’d rather fight someone who hasn’t fought in four years as in Dominick.”
