Why Henry Cejudo thinks Dominick Cruz has the best chance to beat Petr Yan
Petr Yan has looked nearly unstoppable since joining the UFC roster, but Henry Cejudo thinks there’s one fighter who could push him.
Former champion Yan (16-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) reclaimed part of his title when he defeated Cory Sandhagen to become the interim bantamweight champ at UFC 267. His lone octagon loss and first setback in almost five years came in a disqualification to Aljamain Sterling, a fight he was en route to winning.
Yan holds wins over the likes of Sandhagen, Jose Aldo and Urijah Faber, but Cejudo says there’s one particular area he’s yet to be tested in, and former two-time bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz (23-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) is the man who could do it.
“I think Dominick Cruz has the best chance to beat up Petr Yan,” Cejudo said on “The Triple C & Schmo Show.” “You know why? Because of his distance game and the fact that he wrestles. None of these guys wrestle. None of these guys have really forced Petr Yan to actually wrestle, and the way Dominick Cruz mixes it – I’m not saying he could beat Petr Yan, but I’m saying he has the best chance of beating Petr ‘the ugly potato’ Yan, if that makes any sense. That’s actually a damn compliment to Dominick ‘the booze’ Cruz.”
Cejudo’s final octagon win came in a bantamweight title defense over Cruz at UFC 249 and the former dual-champ hasn’t fought since hanging up his gloves in May 2020. Cejudo also gave his take on Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 31 main event between Aldo and Rob Font, and “Triple C” is going with the former featherweight king.
“As crazy as this may seem, too, I have him (Aldo) beating Rob Font,” Cejudo said. “I really do. I think that Rob Font’s got good hands, but I believe Jose Aldo has got more weapons with knees and kicks. So for that reason, I’m gonna have to go Jose ‘Baldo.'”
