What does Cejudo get out of a win over Cruz?
The Olympic wrestling gold medalist and former UFC flyweight champion joined the shortlist of “champ-champs” when he defeated Marlon Moraes to win the vacant bantamweight title last June. Cejudo has been a killer in the cage, everything he was projected to be when he first signed up for this sport. He deserves every accolade that’s been tossed his way.
Since winning the title, though, Cejudo’s angle has been tough to figure. There’s no lack of deserving talent at 135 pounds. But first Cejudo was scheduled for fight longtime former featherweight champion Jose Aldo, who was coming off a loss in his first bantamweight fight. Now he goes against Cruz, who hasn’t competed since 2016.
Maybe it’s about the resume. Cejudo clearly places a higher and more conscious priority on his legacy than most fighters during their primes. Cruz or Aldo mean more for his legacy than, say, Aljamain Sterling. But there hasn’t been a bantamweight title fight between a defending champion and a challenger who has been active in the division since T.J. Dillashaw defeated Garbrandt in a rematch at UFC 227 nearly two years ago, and it’s well past time to get the line moving again.
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