UFC on Fox 13: Five Fights for Henry Cejudo
Henry Cejudo finally made his UFC debut and looked fantastic in earning a unanimous decision win over Dustin Kimura.
Fighting at bantamweight, the former Olympic gold medalist pleaded for one more opportunity to make the flyweight limit. Whether Cejudo fights at 125 or 135 pounds, the UFC has an interesting new prospect who showed he can compete in the biggest promotion in mixed martial arts.
Here are five potential fights, three at bantamweight and two at flyweight, that would be captivating matchups for Cejudo's next bout.
Brad Pickett
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The 36-year-old Brad Pickett has announced that he has decided to move back to the bantamweight division, according to Sherdog.
His experience and diversified attack would provide a challenge Cejudo would have to answer at some point in his UFC run. Henry displayed the ability to box his opponents while leaning on his wrestling as a defensive measure, but with Pickett's power it would be telling to see if Cejudo would elect to take the match directly to the ground.
Whichever strategy is employed, pairing Pickett and Cejudo together would be a strong fight to make.
Erik Perez
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The UFC currently has Erik Perez ranked as the No. 13 bantamweight on their roster. The Mexico native has a strong following within his home country, and a fight against Cejudo on Mexican soil would capture the attraction of fans there.
Perez is the type of fighter who likes to stand and exchange with his opponent, looking for the highlight-reel knockout. Cejudo has three knockouts of his own and looked very good in his exchanges with Kimura. Their style matchup would create a back-and-forth fight that fans could get behind.
Alex Caceres
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Alex “Bruce Leeroy” Caceres is a big question mark within the bantamweight division.
He has shown flashes as someone to watch and put on a great display against Urijah Faber in a losing effort. However, he still sits outside of the top 10 within the UFC rankings and would be a good introduction for Cejudo if placed on the main card of a Fox event.
Cejudo would have to deal with Caceres's range and his ability to keep the wrestler off him with his varied striking style. This would be an important test for Cejudo at this time, because he is going to have to deal with that type of problem with some of the best men in the weight class.
Caceres is a good measuring stick to see how Cejudo will deal with opponents who can attack from range.
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Zach Makovsky
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If Cejudo is granted the opportunity to make the flyweight cutoff once again, Zach Makovsky could be the opponent to lead the welcoming party.
Currently ranked No. 9 in the division, Makovsky is an underrated fighter even though he's a former Bellator champion. He is a prime example of the potential rebirth of a career after dropping a weight class, just as Cejudo is attempting to do.
Makovsky can mix things up on his feet, but his main attack is his wrestling and grappling, where he can control the positioning of the bout. The question would be whether or not he would try to wrestle one of the best American wrestlers of all time.
No matter where the fight takes place, this would be worth a main-card slot on any UFC event.
Dustin Ortiz
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At 25 years old, Dustin Ortiz has a lot of room to grow into his MMA career.
He is coming off a competitive loss to Joseph Benavidez, but that defeat did not drop his stock too drastically. A fight against Cejudo would decide which athlete has the biggest upside within the flyweight division.
Ortiz is capable of fighting wherever the contest goes. He doesn't excel at one position or the other, but he's a true mixed martial artist who knows how to win in multiple ways.
Would his diversified attack be too much for Cejudo? That's a question that can only be answered through competition, but Cejudo has shown the willingness to mix things up beyond wrestling.
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