Manager: Cejudo vs. Dillashaw Rematch ‘Needs To Be Run Back’
T.J. Dillashaw’s manager believes the whole UFC Brooklyn situation is ‘unfortunate’
But he is adamant that the two champions need to run is back no matter the weight class. Tiki Ghosn, Dillashaw’s manager, doesn’t care whether the rematch takes place at flyweight or if it’s at bantamweight. Bottom line, he just wants the two to run it back.
“I think it definitely needs to be run back,” Ghosn told MMAjunkie Radio this week. “It needs to be run back at whatever weight – it just needs to happen again.”
An Unfortunate Situation
Henry Cejudo stifled Dillashaw’s bid to become the UFC’s fourth “champ-champ” when he lit up the bantamweight champ with strikes in the first round of their main event title fight last weekend. While some fans don’t have a problem with the 32-second stoppage, others, including UFC President Dana White, think referee Kevin MacDonald was premature with his stoppage.
“The whole thing is unfortunate – it sucks – and that’s not to take anything away from Cejudo,” Ghosn said. “Being a fighter, I know what these guys go through. I know they’re both prepared and trained their asses off for it. And if it was the flipside, too, and it was the other way around, it would suck. The whole thing’s unfortunate.
“As a fighter, you want to go until you can’t possibly go anymore. If it was one of those situations where he was knocked out cold, laying on the floor, there wouldn’t be any controversy. The controversial part of this is that they were still in the scramble. Yes, T.J. was in bad position and he had an Olympic wrestler on top of him. But this is MMA and T.J. scrambled out of some bad situations like that. Like when he fought Cody (Garbrandt the first time). He came back and finished him.”
Save Flyweight?
While Ghosn is careful to not discredit Cejudo, he is quick to point out that any theories of Dillashaw’s weight cut affecting his chin are not true. He just believes Cejudo landed right on the button. As far as the rematch goes, Ghosn thinks 125 pounds makes the most sense, but at the end of the day, Cejudo is holding all the cards.
“Here’s the question, and here’s the challenge: If Henry wants to save the 125 division, then I think the rematch needs to happen at 125,” Ghosn said. “You could say (he already saved the division), except for the controversial stoppage.
“There are two ways to look at it: Did Henry Cejudo earn his chance to become a double champ? Yeah, I think he did. But it just comes down to what (Cejudo) wants to do moving forward. What are they going to do with the 125-pound division? That’s the catch.”
