UFC Fans are Divided About Whether or Not the Referee Stopped Henry Cejudo v TJ Dillashaw Too Early… Now New Slow Motion Footage Shows Just How Hard and Clean Henry Cejudo’s Shots Were…
Naturally, UFC flyweight champion Henry Cejudo believes that referee Kevin MacDonald was totally justified in stopping the fight after just 34 seconds. At the post-fight press conference he said:
“I saw he was hurt since the beginning, I thought it was that kick that really kind of rattled him. I’m going to have to re-watch that fight, but I could tell, I saw him going limp, I saw his body changing. I shoved him down. If you shove somebody down, they’re hurt. If I do this to you and you’re just (acts dazed), come on.”
Now some new footage from the UFC’s ghost camera appears to support his argument. Watch as Dillashaw eats Cejudo’s shots. Sure he might have still had a single leg, but he didn’t look in any position to defend himself. MacDonald could have prolonged Dillashaw’s career.
Devastated
TJ Dillashaw was visibly distraught after losing so quickly to the former Olympic gold medallist. He told the media in his post-fight interview:
“Sucks to have it stolen from me. I worked my butt off. I’m so much better than that. It would be nice to actually get the chance to show it. It’s a title fight, it’s a champ versus champ fight and you’re gonna stop the fight like that? I’m on a single leg. He says, ‘Show me something.’ I said, ‘I’m OK.’ I’m on a single leg in a scramble, he stops punching, he’s defending a single leg and you’re gonna stop the fight? It’s just ridiculous, man. It’s pretty pathetic that I have better knowledge than that ref.”
“As you can tell, I’m a little frustrated. This shit needs to happen again — at flyweight. This is bullshit. I worked my ass off 12 weeks to get here to have it stolen from me in 30 seconds.”
HENRY CEJUDO!!!!!!!
Messaged. Sent. WOW!!!!! #UFCBrooklyn @HenryCejudo pic.twitter.com/5gx41CdUOM
— UFC (@ufc) January 20, 2019
Horrible
According to UFC president Dana White, this was a horrible stoppage. He believes that it should have been let go until one or the other of the two men was totally unconscious. This is despite him acknowledging that Dillashaw looked like he had gone three rounds despite only lasting 34 seconds. At the post-fight press conference he said:
“I thought it was an early stoppage, too. You’ve got two of the best guys in the world, two world champions in a super fight. Let them fight; let them finish.
“I’m not taking anything away from Cejudo, because the fight went 20 seconds and Cejudo busted him up. I’m sure you saw (Dillashaw) sitting here; he looks like he was in a three-round fight. But Jesus Christ, let them fight. Horrible stoppage.”
"I'm putting my name in the history books."@HenryCejudo does it AGAIN this time against the bantamweight king! #UFCBrooklyn pic.twitter.com/X0e617SRVD
— UFC (@ufc) January 21, 2019
Rematch?
At the end of the day, White is probably more annoyed about the fact that Cejudo is keeping the flyweight division alive. The promotion might actually have found itself a star in the former Olympic champion. While he’s not as supreme as a martial artist as Demetrious Johnson, he definitely has more charisma.
A rematch does look likely and should take place at bantamweight. Dillashaw’s dream of being a double champion has been crushed, but ‘The Messenger’ will probably get a shot at capturing a second division.
