Coach Khabib Swallows a Bitter Pill Over Lofty Plans for Ex-UFC Champ

Henry Cejudo is willing to be the last dance for Dominick Cruz but does that matchup make sense, especially for his legacy? After all, he did beat him handily to defend his bantamweight belt in his first retirement fight at UFC 249. Meanwhile, former UFC bantamweight champion Cruz (7-3 UFC) recently revealed that he’s looking to compete one more time before hanging up his gloves. This might be a good option for Henry Cejudo in terms of a winning fight, but a UFC legend suggested something else for him. Who’s this legend? None other than Khabib Nurmagomedov. What did he say to Cejudo? Let’s find out.

Well, Khabib Nurmagomedov has been gunning for Cejudo to face Alexandre Pantoja, given that ‘The Cannibal’ virtually cleaned out his division. Here’s what Nurmagomedov said directly to ‘Triple C’, “If I talk about yourself, I think you’re old for this sport,” Khabib explained. “But, if I’m a promoter, I try to make Pantoja fight with you because there is nobody else.” Only problem is that another UFC legend came out and totally thrashed the Dagestani legend’s idea.

Michael Bisping pointed out that Cejudo might not be able to live up to the Dagestani’s expectations. He said during the Believe You Me podcast, “I mean look listen Khabib if anyone can do it– it would be Khabib we’ve all heard how legendary and strict he is as a coach, and how much he pushes his people. Henry Cejudo, of course, we know the credentials; ’25 champ, ’35 champ, Olympic champ. But he struggled a little bit lately and going back down to 125, being the age that he is. Khabib is a great coach and apparently, he takes no prisoners, But he’s not a miracle worker.”

According to ‘The Count’, everyone enters the prime of their athletic careers only once. Khabib Nurmagomedov said this as well. Henry Cejudo’s rise saw him win the flyweight and bantamweight belts as an Olympic champion. Now, he’s 37 with a wife and kids, and a successful podcast, but also coming off two back-to-back losses.

So, most would speculate that another title run is out of the picture. Making the 125 lb limit at his age is no joke, and prime Alexander Pantoja would probably make easy work of him. Does that mean that Henry Cejudo should stop fighting? Not at all. He could choose legacy or money fights, and his wish to fight Dominick Cruz might be just that.

Henry Cejudo wants Dominick Cruz, unlike what coach Khabib suggested to him

A fight with Dominick Cruz makes sense for Henry Cejudo. ‘Triple C’ does have a win over ‘The Dominator’. But a win over Cruz won’t add more shine to Cejudo’s record, since the former is way past his prime. Still, that would be a fight that fans would tune in to watch. And the former two-weight champion seems enthusiastic to fight the bantamweight GOAT.

“Dominick snoozes. The only thing I remember about Dominick Cruz was when I put that f***ing knee on top of his f***ing dome… And then he woke up he was talking about needing some alcohol and cigarettes and started blaming the referee when he had 13 unanswered shots. I like that fight. If the UFC wants to make it let’s make it happen,” ‘Triple C’ told Kamaru Usman on their Pound 4 Pound podcast.

Does the fight make sense for Dominick Cruz, however? Well, going by his past losses to high-level opponents, it doesn’t seem so. That’s also because Cejudo only lost to former champions in his last two fights. It’s a tough ask. But if Cruz can pull out a victory by avenging his loss, his claim to being one of the best bantamweights ever do it will hold strong.

What do you think about Dominick Cruz’s last dance against Henry Cejudo? Does that float your fancy? Or would you rather see Henry Cejudo put himself in the line of fire against flyweight king Alexandre Pantoja? Let us know in the comments down below.