Michael Chiesa names former champion as ideal opponent for Aljamain Sterling's upcoming title defense - "What better way to cement your legacy?"
Michael Chiesa recently weighed in on Aljamain Sterling's dominant victory over T.J. Dillashaw in the second defense of his bantamweight throne. 'Maverick' also named a former two-division champion as the ideal opponent for Sterling's next fight.
A spectacular TKO win this past weekend extended 'Funk Master's undefeated run in the UFC to eight. With that in mind, Chiesa has named Henry Cejudo as the next opponent in line to challenge Sterling for the bantamweight strap.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Round-Up w/ Paul Felder & Michael Chiesa, the UFC welterweight contender stated that the fight against Cejudo will help cement Sterling's legacy as one of the best fighters in the 135-pound division:
"I like the idea of the Cejudo fight. What better way to cement your legacy?"
Chiesa added that he feels people are quick to dismiss Cejudo's status as one of the greatest in the sport owing to his boastful persona:
"I feel like Henry Cejudo just gets left out of the conversation when you talk about all-time greats in the sport. For some reason, he gets left out. I don't know, maybe it's the cringiness."
Watch the latest episode of the Round-Up w/ Paul Felder & Michael Chiesa below:
Cejudo, meanwhile, has been persistently chasing a fight against Aljamain Sterling now that he's re-entered the USADA testing pool with an intent to return to competition.
Both fighters have engaged in several Twitter exchanges, with 'Triple C' labeling the current bantamweight champion "easy money" during an appearance on The DC Check-in with Daniel Cormier.
Henry Cejudo is confident in his wrestling against the UFC bantamweight champ 🤼♂️ https://t.co/GZUNCB2CVY
Henry Cejudo pokes fun at Aljamain Sterling's performance in his last three fights
Aljamain Sterling continued his brilliant run with a dominant victory over T.J. Dillashaw this past weekend. 'Funk Master' has been undefeated since April 2018 with eight victories that include three finishes.
While the UFC is pushing for Sean O'Malley to be the next contender in line for bantamweight glory, 'Triple C' is making a strong case for his claim.
Most recently, Cejudo poked at Sterling's last three performances, which according to him included two controversial victories over Petr Yan. Sterling won the 135-pound strap at UFC 259 by disqualification due to an illegal knee in the fourth round.
Cejudo took to Twitter to denigrate Sterling's achievements and wrote:
"Hey Alljizzlame. Your last 3 Fights. 1. Beat Yan via Academy Award 2. Gifted Dec via Guilt 3. Hate Crime over Handicapped Fighter Sign the Contract @funkmasterMMA"
Hey Alljizzlame. Your last 3 Fights.
1. Beat Yan via Academy Award
2. Gifted Dec via Guilt
3. Hate Crime over Handicapped Fighter
Sign the Contract . @funkmasterMMA