Henry Cejudo interested in ‘legend rampage’ against either Frankie Edgar or ‘brittle’ Dominick Cruz next

Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo is only interested in legends when he defends his title next.

Originally, Cejudo was supposed to face Jose Aldo in the main event at UFC 250 on May 9 in Brazil but now that fight has been scrapped along with every other event on the promotion’s schedule due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

While it’s possible the fight with Aldo gets rebooked, Cejudo is wasting no time turning his attention to two different opponents, who could easily get his attention.

“There’s a couple options that I have. That’s Frankie Edgar and Dominick Cruz,” Cejudo said during an Instagram Live chat with ESPN on Monday. “These are the [names] that come to mind.

“I’m on a legend rampage. Those are the two guys that kind of come to mind.”

Prior to the event being postponed, rumors swirled that Cruz was being courted as a potential replacement for Aldo after he was unable to secure a visa to come to the United States from Brazil due to the pandemic.

The fight was never confirmed but Cejudo was definitely interested in the matchup, although he’s not certain Cruz would actually make it to the event.

“I thought about it with Dominick and Dominick is unpredictable,” Cejudo said. “He’s too brittle. I’m afraid to sign a contract with him cause I don’t know if he’s going to show up.

“Then obviously with Frankie Edgar — Frankie Edgar, he was one of the first people I called out once I beat Marlon. That’s a fight that’s always gave me that appetite for him, especially him at 145 pounds, but since he’s coming down to 35, he’s a former champion at 155 pounds. That’s another fight that really intrigues me and gets me up in the morning.”

Cruz has definitely suffered through some serious injury problems during his career including two different layoffs that have kept him out of action for the better part of three years.

The last time he fought was back in 2016 when Cruz lost the bantamweight title to Cody Garbrandt. Since then, Cruz has been dealing with a myriad of injuries including a broken arm and shoulder surgery that forced him to the sidelines again.

That kind of inconsistency worries Cejudo when he’s looking at future opponents, especially with an option like Edgar also available to him.

“Dominick Cruz hasn’t fought since 2016. Frankie Edgar, the only guys that he’s lost to have been the top ranked guys,” Cejudo said. “I would love to beat up Dominick but I just don’t know if he would show up.

“He’s so unpredictable and with Frankie Edgar, it’s something I’m going to have to talk to my agent about, my manager cause I don’t like both of them and I would like to make both of them bend the knee.”

More than anything, Cejudo wants a high profile opponent, which is why he’s seeking fighters like Cruz or Edgar for his next title defense.

“I deserve a legend,” Cejudo said. “Let me remind you, my last three fights — Demetrious Johnson, T.J. Dillashaw, and Marlon Moraes, [the current] No. 1 contender. I want to keep up that legend rampage so it’s going to be one of those two guys.”