If reports are true, Henry Cejudo is going from facing one UFC legend at UFC 250 to another one. The UFC Bantamweight Champion was set to defend his strap against Jose Aldo at UFC 250 on May 9th in Brazil before COVID-19 scrapped those plans. The event’s venue, the Ginasio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, has been turned into a field hospital to deal with the pandemic. And GLOBO reports that Aldo can’t get his U.S. work visa renewed due to COVID-19 outbreak, while the travel ban also puts plans to get fighters into Brazil on hold. Which leaves Cejudo without an opponent (or a venue, for that matter).
Enter former bantamweight king Dominic Cruz.
Dear @HenryCejudo,
The real king has already been told that we’re fighting May 9th. I’ll see you there.
P.S. -Bring your other tiny lil friend @cptdasamericas so I can slap you both around. 👋 👋
-Signed, Sealed, Delivered-— Dominick Cruz (@DominickCruz) April 9, 2020
So it looks like one controversial choice for opponent has been replaced by another controversial choice. While you can’t argue with Aldo or Cruz’s resumes – they are both all-time greats – it’s their most recent results which is causing a stir. Aldo has lost his last two fights, and has never won a bantamweight one. Cruz, meanwhile, hasn’t even fought since December 2016 and hasn’t won a fight since June of that same year.
With a large queue of worthy top contenders at 135 pounds, such as Aljamain Sterling, Petr Yan and Cory Sandhagen, choosing a fighter who hasn’t fought in almost four years for a title shot is a head-scratcher. But it’s not surprising – the UFC is in the head-scratcher business, after all. Private fight island, anyone?!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
