Joseph Benavidez wants to see Henry Cejudo stick to his mission of saving the UFC flyweight division.
Cejudo defended his flyweight title for the first time in a superfight against bantamweight champ T.J. Dillashaw, stopping Dillashaw in 32 seconds in the UFC Brooklyn main event this past weekend. Heading into the fight, Cejudo said he planned to save the 125-pound division with a win over Dillashaw. Late last year, it was reported that the UFC had been planning to get rid of the weight class, and Cejudo believed a win over Dillashaw would persuade the promotion to keep it around.
Immediately after his quick victory, Cejudo said he would be open to a second fight against Dillashaw, but this time at bantamweight, where he could become a two-division titleholder. Benavidez, a longtime flyweight contender who defeated Dustin Ortiz at the same event, told FloCombat.com on Monday that he hopes to see Cejudo accept a fight against him and not rematch Dillashaw at 135 pounds. Moving up to bantamweight for a Dillashaw rematch would go against Cejudo’s promise to save flyweight, Benavidez said.
“It’s not about me and you right now fighting for a title,” Benavidez said, “but there are thousands of kids out there dreaming of being a flyweight champion of the world and now we have a chance to keep this division moving forward.”
Benavidez said one of the reasons Cejudo should opt against a Dillashaw rematch is because had Dillashaw won their fight on Saturday, he would never think to give “The Messenger” a second fight — so why should Cejudo do so to Dillashaw?
“He didn’t have respect for [Cejudo] before,” Benavidez said of Dillashaw, a former training partner at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento. “He’s acting like he has respect now, but he already acted the way he did. He wouldn’t think about Henry again or give him a rematch. The only reason he is now is because he lost in 32 seconds. That would never happen. Move on, do the right thing for the division.”
If Cejudo wants to live up to what he said he would do before the Dillashaw fight, Benavidez said, then he’d accept a rematch with Benavidez. The pair fought in December 2016, with Benavidez winning a close decision. Cejudo hasn’t lost since.
“I gave him 15 minutes of hell and he knows I’m going to come after him,” Benavidez said. “This time it’s going to be 25 minutes. I don’t think he’s scared of me, but he knows a fight with me is a fight with me and the other fight he has nothing to lose because he already knocked the guy out in 32 seconds. If he believes what he says, this is his chance to do it.
“If he believes in that, if you truly believe in that and you’re not just saying it, this is the only option to keep it moving forward. Give me the shot.”