The UFC flyweight division is one of the newest divisions in the UFC, and not surprisingly it’s also one of the shallowest. The fact that the division’s champion, Demetrious Johnson, has fought and beaten most of the top contenders in the weight class certainly doesn’t help the optics, either.
In fact, because the division is so void of fresh title contenders, Johnson is taking on youngster Kyoji Horiguchi in the co-main event of UFC 186 even though the Japan native has said publicly that he wasn’t ready for a title shot and didn’t want it. But with little-to-no other options, Horiguchi got the shot.
When John Dodson takes on Zach Makovsky at UFC 187, I expect him to get the next title shot with a victory, but there’s no guarantee Dodson wins that fight. And if he doesn’t, then who the next flyweight title contender is becomes even more uncertain.
Enter Henry Cejudo, the Olympian who won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling (55kg) at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, China. A highly-touted prospect, Cejudo possesses some of the best wrestling the MMA world has ever seen, and he showed in his UFC debut against Dustin Kimura at UFC on FOX 13 that he has fantastic boxing as well. Even though he only has seven fights, the skillset is there, and not surprisingly there is a ton of hype behind him.
Just 28 years of age, Cejudo has room for a ton of improvement, and we keep seeing that every time we see him fight. With his wrestling base and with improving striking, it’s easy to see why so many fans are high on him, and it’s easy to see why the UFC is putting him on the fast track to the title shot.
Think about it. This is his second fight in the UFC, and he’s taking on Chris Cariaso, the man who just fought Johnson for the title, tonight at UFC 185. And despite Cariaso having so much more experience in the sport, Cariaso is a massive underdog to Cejudo (although I think that speaks more to Cejudo’s incredible wrestling and Cariaso’s poor takedown defence than anything else.)
The UFC is clearly setting up Cejudo to become a title contender before the end of 2015, and I like it. The division needs more contenders, and although Johnson has been incredible with his wrestling in MMA, there’s no doubt Cejudo has a better wrestling background, and I think everyone would love to see that battle play out in the cage.
The problem with Cejudo, as everyone knows, is that he has had trouble making 125 pounds. He was supposed to make his UFC debut last summer at UFC 177, but couldn’t make the flyweight limit without getting sick from the weight cut, so his fight with Scott Jorgensen was scratched at the last minute. The UFC punished him by making him go up to 135 lbs for his next fight, and he absolutely dominated Kimura. Now the promotion is giving him one more chance at flyweight.
Now that he has shown that he can make the weight limit safely, if he puts on a good performance against Cariaso, then I think he’ll be one win away from a title shot, just behind Dodson in the line to fight Johnson. But if he looks bad at this weight, then his career will be at a crossroads. It’s imperative that, having made 125 pounds, he looks good and earns the respect of the UFC and the fans, because if he does, the sky’s the limit for this guy, and a fight with “Mighty Mouse” could be on the horizon.
• Chris Cariaso vs. Henry Cejudo
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UFC 185: Pettis vs. dos Anjos is due to take place on March 14, 2015 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC 185 will be.
