Is the foundation being laid for a UFC bantamweight title fight between No. 1 contender Marlon Moraes and flyweight champion Henry Cejudo?
Maybe.
The UFC’s 135-pound division was throw into disarray early Wednesday when champ T.J. Dillashaw announced that he’d been flagged for a potential U.S. Anti-Doping Agency violation and would be relinquishing his title belt. By Wednesday night, Cejudo and Moraes – who share the same manager in Ali Abdelaziz – were going back and forth with each other on Twitter.
It all started with a comment Cejudo made to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani in which he both flyweight and bantamweight should be known as “the Cejudoweight division.” That got a response from Moraes, who’s confident he’ll get a shot at the vacant title.
“Tell Cejudo to stay in his lane,” Moraes said. “We all saw what happened with T.J. changing weight classes last time. If he is thinking about bringing his little ass up to 135, he’s in trouble.”
Cejudo didn’t let that one slide, mocking Moraes’ previous standing as a World Series of Fighting champion (via Twitter).
I was the youngest Olympic gold medalist. I am the UFC flyweight champion and I just knocked out a PED user in 32 seconds. You think I’m afraid of a World Series of Fighting former champion? Lol
Moraes’ response included a shot at Cejudo having a celebrity crush on WWE star Nikki Bella (via Twitter).
Stay humble my friend take care of your business I will take care of mine or You’ll strike out with me worse than you did with that WWE girl #bantamweightdivision
Prior to the stunning development of Dillashaw’s failed drug test, there’d been talk of him either having a rematch with Cejudo – at 125 or 135 – or defending his title against Moraes. Now that all changes with the bantamweight title vacant. Cejudo and Moraes are already making noise.
Cejudo (14-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) currently finds himself on a four-fight winning streak, and his stock never has been higher after consecutive wins over Demetrious Johnson to claim the title and Dillashaw in his first title defense.
Moraes (22-5 MMA, 4-1 UFC), meanwhile, is also on a four-fight winning streak that includes three straight first-round finishes over top 135-pound contenders Aljamain Sterling, Jimmie Rivera and Raphael Assuncao.
For more on the upcoming UFC schedule, visit the UFC Rumors section of the site.
