Henry Cejudo suggests other contender for UFC champ Merab Dvalishvili over 'stupid' Sean O'Malley rematch
Henry Cejudo does not want to see UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili rematch Sean O'Malley.
Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) dethroned O'Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) to become 135-pound champion at UFC 306. He then retained his title by handing Umar Nurmagomedov his first loss at UFC 311.
Dvalishvili said he's open to running things back with O'Malley next, an option Dana White appeared to be on board with prior to UFC 311. However, Cejudo has an alternative option in mind.
"I think that's stupid," Cejudo told "Home of Fight" on a Dvalishvili vs. O'Malley rematch. "It's not like O'Malley is a pay-per-view king. His fights don't do sh*t, man. I think the person that they should give him is (Cory) Sandhagen.
"That fight with Sandhagen makes a lot of sense. Sandhagen could potentially beat him. ... Sandhagen is tricky. I still think Merab beats him, but he has the tools to really shut out Merab's freaking lights. That's the cool thing about it."
Former UFC dual-champion Cejudo (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) will look to re-enter the title picture himself when he takes on Song Yadong (21-8-1 MMA, 10-3-1 UFC) in Saturday's UFC Fight Night 252 (ESPN+) headliner at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.
"My original goal when I came back after having a three-year layoff, I really did want to win that third division with (Alexander) Volkanovski," Cejudo said. "That was the whole intention of coming back. I get bored. There's one thing that I understood just about my history or who I am: Dude, I'm a great competitor, but I think I like to conquer and move on.
"That was the original plan of my comebacks. I'm a kid that dreams big. I've got lofty goals. I've always been different, and I've always wanted to challenge myself. I'll be happy just to strap on another belt and say I did it again or know that I did it again."
Related
Daniel Cormier: Sean O'Malley 'screwed' if he loses to UFC champ Merab Dvalishvili again
Ray Longo explains how the UFC 'created a monster' in Merab Dvalishvili
Aljamain Sterling: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O'Malley rematch 'hard fight to sell'
Sean O'Malley's coach after UFC 311: Merab Dvalishvili a problem, but 'we could be the kryptonite'
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 252.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Henry Cejudo suggests other contender for UFC champ Merab Dvalishvili over 'stupid' Sean O'Malley rematch
