UFC News: Top fighter says he has lost all respect for Henry Cejudo
Henry Cejudo was recently forced to relinquish the UFC Flyweight Championship due to inactivity, helping him shift his focus solely on the Bantamweight division.
'The Messenger' even called out Jose Aldo for a Bantamweight title fight, however, #3 ranked Bantamweight Petr Yan wasn't too impressed with Cejudo's challenge.
Yan told BJPenn.com that he has all lost all respect for the reigning Bantamweight Champion as a result of the call-out. 'No Mercy' is miffed that Cejudo has seemingly ignored the #1 contender for a fight against a man who has not won a single fight at 135 lbs.
Yan believes that Cejudo is ducking him as the Russian poses the biggest threat to his title reign. He called Cejudo 'Triple Clown' and accused him of turning the sport of MMA into a circus.
“I lost all respect for Cejudo. He doesn’t want to defend his belt against a real number one contender. He wants to fight someone with zero wins in 135 division and on a two-fight losing streak, and far from the peak of his career. UFC shouldn’t support this behaviour if they want to keep any significance to that belt. Honestly, it will be bad for the sport.
"He is a triple clown who is trying to turn our sport into a circus. He knows I’m a terrible matchup for him. That’s why he is trying to avoid fighting me.”
Yan is coming off a big win against Urijah Faber at UFC 245 and is one of the favourites to get the next shot at Cejudo's 135-pound title. The #1 ranked fighter of the division, Marlon Moraes was also featured on the UFC 245 card and he came off a big win himself, against Bantamweight debutant Jose Aldo.
Yan explained that he is also willing to fight another fighter if a deserved bout against Cejudo falls through.
“I love to fight and I’m willing to fight anyone deserving. It doesn’t matter if I have to clean out division before or after I win the belt. One thing you can know for sure, I’m not gonna ask for someone who just lost the fight.” H/t Credit: BJPENN
Watch Petr Yan talk about his impressive win over Urijah Faber below: