T.J. Dillashaw will have a tough time getting a UFC bantamweight title shot so long as Henry Cejudo owns the division.
Cejudo (15-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC), who defends the 135-pound belt for the first time Saturday against Dominick Cruz in the UFC 249 co-headliner, was the last opponent that Dillashaw (16-4 MMA, 11-4 UFC) before being suspended from competition due to banned substances.
Dillashaw, then bantamweight champ, suffered a 32-second TKO defeat to Cejudo in a flyweight title bout at UFC on ESPN+ 1 in January 2019. He tested positive for EPO, and as a result relinquished his title and was issued a two-year ban by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. With less than eight months to go on his suspension, Dillashaw recently told MMA Junkie he’s targeting a title fight upon his return, and claimed the UFC is on board.
Cejudo is clearly still bothered by Dillashaw’s attempt to use performance-enhancing substances leading up to their fight, though, and he said it’s going to be a long road before he gives the idea of a rematch any sort of realistic consideration.
“People will never know until you’re cheated on,” Cejudo told reporters during Thursday’s UFC 249 virtual media day. “It’s an honor to fight somebody in the octagon. I almost feel embarrassed. I feel dirty even talking about T.J. I don’t think there’s anything in my heart that I even want to fight that dude. When you shake hands with somebody and you guys go out to compete and next thing you know he’s on some (expletive) like EPO where you can’t get tired, the same thing that Lance Armstrong was on, I don’t think I ever want to fight that dude again. I truly mean that.
“He’s got to get his mind right, he’s got to be fair. He’s got to go through the line, who knows how long he’s been doing this for. It’s unfortunate, but that’s just my honest to God – that’s just what I feel deep inside my ‘Triple C,’ what ‘Triple C’ feels deep inside. I don’t even know if I could stand next to him and do a staredown. It’s false. I feel weird saying all those bad things, but you’re asking me and I’m going to tell you how I feel.”
In Dillashaw’s mind, Cejudo’s opinion won’t matter much. He’s on record predicting that Cruz will pull the upset this weekend.
Cejudo remains the man running the show, though, and he can maintain that position with a win at UFC 249, which takes place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., with a main card on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
Henry Cejudo feels 'dirty even talking about' T.J. Dillashaw, rules out rematch