Henry Cejudo scoffed at Dominick Cruz’s recent callout.
Cruz (24-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) expressed interest in avenging his UFC 249 title loss to Cejudo, a fight in which he was stopped by TKO in Round 2. The two-time bantamweight champion protested the stoppage, accusing referee Keith Peterson of smelling like alcohol and cigarettes.
Cejudo (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) retired after beating Cruz, but now that he’s gearing up for his return, “Triple C” is eyeing UFC gold and has no interest in running things back with Cruz.
“Dominick ‘Snooze’ – he had his opportunity. He couldn’t make it past two rounds with me,” Cejudo said on “The Triple C & Schmo Show.” “It was ridiculous. I got rid of him. That’s why I dedicated ‘Technique of the Week’ and got over 130,000 views off of it because it shows that not only did I knock him out (and showed diversity) with my knee, but also I knocked him out so much – I mean, I hurt him so bad that I literally woke him up.
“So Dominick ‘Snooze,’ get in back of the line. I gave you an opportunity the first time. You couldn’t get it done. You couldn’t last no more than two rounds. I want somebody that’s capable of at least lasting another round with me.”
Cejudo, a former UFC dual-champion, has targeted both bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling and featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski. He re-entered the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency drug-testing pool in April and is looking to return before the end of 2022.
“More likely I’ll be fighting toward the end of the year, and I’m looking forward to it,” Cejudo said. “I’m gonna be prepared. You guys are going to see the best version of ‘Triple C,’ and I’m reclaiming my crown once again because these dudes make me absolutely sick.”