Henry Cejudo has warned the new UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley that he would take him down faster than USADA.
Cejudo took to his ‘X’ account (formerly twitter), to post a picture of O’Malley’s previous statement on his failed USADA test back in 2019. Alongside this, was Cejudo, standing proudly with his 75 clean tests chip. Cejudo received this after becoming the first athlete to reach 75 consecutive clean tests.
Above the post which was inclusive of the bold writing title of ‘BUSTED!’ Cejudo wrote, “I would take you down faster than USADA did. Aljo was too busy making rum and trying to figure out what gender you identify as. The holes in your game are bigger than Logan Paul’s fiancé.” – Quote taken directly from @HenryCejudo
Cejudo was responding to a post from O’Malley on Sunday which read, “@HenryCejudo if you want me to teach you lil take down defense for mma lmk come down to Peoria.”
Henry Cejudo, Next in Line?
Cejudo and O’Malley have been touted to face off in the past and have had exchanges over social media before. The two, regularly take pot shots at one another in interviews. A potential showdown between the two now seems closer than ever. Cejudo returned to the octagon for the first time in three years against Aljamain Sterling. The self proclaimed ‘King of Cringe’ was attempting to become a two time bantamweight champion but fell short via split decision, against then champion, Aljamain Sterling.
In what was a very close wrestling heavy battle, Cejudo proved that he could still compete against the very best in the division. Henry Cejudo was set to face off against Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera on the UFC 292 card but had to pull-out due to a shoulder injury he sustained. Vera found himself with a replacement in Pedro Munhoz and was able to stay on the card.
‘Chito’ had his hand raised and propelled himself back into title contention once more. Vera is the only man to have beaten the current champion in O’Malley in what ‘Suga’ believes was a contentious victory.
Cejudo and Vera aren’t the only ones looking to get in on the title picture and O’Malley has a high number of potential opponents lined up for the next shot. With Aljamain Sterling now no longer sitting at the head of the bantamweight table, it springs a new lease of life into the division. Aljo had already toppled a number of the top contenders.
Now, with O’Malley sitting on the throne, there is new blood and new matchups to make in the division. So, lets take a look at the top contenders.
Aljamain Sterling
Aljo had, in some peoples eyes, done enough to be considered the bantamweight GOAT (Greatest Of All Time). With the most title defences in the history of the division, it would be hard to deny Aljo a rematch. However, Sterling isn’t too popular amongst the fans and there are potentially more lucrative options for the UFC and O’Malley moving forward. Sterling has called for an immediate rematch but it is more likely that he will have to get another win before the two are to run it back.
Henry Cejudo
‘Triple C’ made his UFC return and immediately jumped into a world title fight. Despite his decorated history, it would be unfair on the rest of the division for Cejudo to get another crack at the title immediately. There is no doubt that Cejudo is more than capable of becoming the champion but it is rare to see somebody challenge for the title when coming off a loss. For this reason, it is likely that Cejudo will need to pick up at least one win, before being thrown back in for the title.
Marlon Vera
‘Chito’ returned against Pedro Munhoz on the UFC 292 card with a unanimous decision win. Vera had been on a tear in recent times, until he ran into fellow top contender Cory Sandhagen. Sandhagen dominated Vera which seemed to have temporarily derailed Vera’s run for the title. However, with a win last weekend and his history with O’Malley, it is fair to say that ‘Chito’ is right there. If O’Malley wants revenge against ‘Chito’ to be next, there’s a strong chance that the UFC make that rematch.
Cory Sandhagen
Sandhagen will feel hard done by if he doesn’t get a shot at the title next. He is on a three fight win streak. With a TKO victory over Song Yadong and two dominant displays against ‘Chito’ Vera and Rob Font, ‘The Sandman’ is right there. However, Sandhagen requires surgery on an elbow injury sustained in the victory over Font and will be out for approximately six months. With this being the case, it is unlikely that Sandhagen will be next and will ave to fight another top contender to fight for his shot upon his return.
Merab Dvalishvili
Last but by no means least is Merab. Merab is, without question, the number one contender. He is currently on a nine fight winning streak and was dominant last time out against former champion Petr Yan. Should Aljo move up to featherweight, the right thing to do would be to make O’Malley against Dvalishvili next. However, the UFC are likely to want to make the most financially beneficial matchup that they can. Right now, that seems to be ‘Chito’ Vera. Dvalishvili was offered a shot at Sterling’s title but refused the matchup due to his close friendship with Aljo. Dvalishvili can’t be blamed for this and it is of course, honourable. However, there is a good chance that he misses out on being next for that very reason.
Who would you like to see O’Malley face next? Tell us who you think is the rightful number one contender? Who do you think will actually be next? Let us know in the comments.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
