Cejudo stops Dillashaw in 32 seconds, keeps title
After Henry Cejudo’s 32-second TKO of TJ Dillashaw, Cejudo gives props to Dillashaw and offers another fight at 135 pounds. (1:09)
NEW YORK — Henry Cejudo might have just saved the UFC’s flyweight division.
Cejudo (14-2) defended his flyweight championship for the first time at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in a stunning 32-second finish of bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw, who agreed to move down in weight in pursuit of a second title.
It’s the fifth-fastest knockout or TKO in a title fight in UFC history.
Greg Hardy heard boos early and late in a UFC debut that ended when his illegal knee to the head of heavyweight challenger Allen Crowder resulted in disqualification Saturday night in New York.
Before UFC Fight Night Brooklyn’s main event between Henry Cejudo and TJ Dillashaw, a multitude of undercard fights had major implications. Here’s how it all went down.
The 125-pound fight headlined the UFC’s first event on ESPN+ at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and it was over before it started.
Cejudo clipped Dillashaw (16-4) with a right hand to the temple and never let him recover. As Dillashaw grabbed Cejudo’s leg to slow things down, Cejudo threw a barrage of left hands to force the finish.
It was a remarkable result for a fight that might have affected an entire division. The UFC considered closing the 125-pound division after Cejudo won the title in August against all-time great Demetrious Johnson, and it probably would have done so had Dillashaw won.
“Uncle Dana [White], where are you hiding?” Cejudo said, referring to the UFC president. “Guys, this victory — I’ve said it before. It was much bigger than me. This victory was for the flyweights.
“I hope that’s good enough to keep this weight division alive.”
In the same breath, Cejudo promised Dillashaw they would do the fight again — at Dillashaw’s home of 135 pounds. Dillashaw is still the 135-pound champion.
“TJ, we’ll do it again,” Cejudo said. “This time we’ll go to 135. Thank you for the opportunity. I know the weight cut was a lot. I’ll give you another shot at 135 pounds. Let’s do it again.”
Dillashaw, who fought at 125 pounds for the first time Saturday, appealed the stoppage to referee Kevin MacDonald immediately after the bout, saying that he was ready to keep fighting.
He continued to voice his displeasure at the postfight news conference.
“I am leaps and bounds better than Henry Cejudo. I believe that. I didn’t get a chance to prove it,” Dillashaw said. “I’m pretty F’ing bitter right now. I’m pretty pissed off. I worked my ass off, bro. I’m about to f—ing cry.
“I came in, I felt great. I felt really good. I thought it was gonna be fireworks for me tonight. I got dealt a s—ty card.”
Dillashaw also called for a rematch with Cejudo, but said he wants the fight to come at 125 pounds again.
“This s— needs to happen again, at flyweight,” he said. “This is bulls—. I worked 12 weeks to have this stolen from me in seconds.
“If I’m gonna lose, I want to lose. Congrats to Cejudo, but you did not win. You did not win this fight. I am happy to accept defeat, but I did not lose.”