While UFC president Dana White scrambles to make UFC 249 a reality — apparently now without Khabib Nurmagomedov — current bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo is already making backup plans should his scheduled title defense run into similar issues.
Nurmagomedov is currently stuck in Russia, and with borders closing due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, White is being forced to find an alternative for the lightweight championship tilt featuring Tony Ferguson. Cejudo is slated to square off against the legendary Jose Aldo, despite consecutive losses, in a title bout in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on May 9, and that fight could soon be in trouble as well.
Looking for a potential backup in case things do fall through, Cejudo called out Dominick Cruz in an Instagram post, who for those scoring at home, hasn’t fought since losing his belt to Cody Garbrandt in December 2016.
Since #UFC249 is in jeopardy because we can’t get Khabib out of Russia. So Just in case we can’t get Jose Baldo into America soil, make sure to bring your untailored tuxedo that you wear every Saturday long with yours balls! Because you’re on deck sweetheart. Someone has to bend the knee to Triple C on May 9th!
It’s another reputation fight for Cejudo, who is yet again overlooking the top three contenders in the division: Marlon Moraes (who lost to Cejudo last June), Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan.