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T.J. Dillashaw says 'scared' Henry Cejudo 'shaking in his boots' as UFC on ESPN+ 1 draws near

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BROOKLYN, N.Y. – T.J. Dillashaw thinks Henry Cejudo will be in over his head at UFC on ESPN+ 1 and said the flyweight champion is becoming more and more aware of that as time winds down to fight night.

Dillashaw (16-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC), the UFC bantamweight titleholder, will drop to flyweight to challenge Cejudo (13-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) in pursuit of a second belt. The pre-fight narrative largely has focused on Dillashaw’s ability to make weight, but with things going “easier than expected,” that’s not what he’s thinking about.

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Instead, Dillashaw is focusing on his performance and how beating Cejudo will increase his profile in the sport. Only three fighters in UFC history have held multiple belts simultaneously, and Dillashaw knows that’s are the type of thing he must accomplish in order to become a seminal figure in MMA.

“It’s all of it,” Dillashaw told reporters, including MMAjunkie, Wednesday night at UFC on ESPN+ 1 open workouts. “At first I was chasing Demetrious Johnson. Everyone was saying he’s the greatest pound-for-pound fighter. That’s my spot. I really believe that’s my spot, so I was chasing it down. He wouldn’t take the fight; Henry Cejudo wanted to call me out after (UFC 227). He said he was going to come up to ’35 to fight me. We offered it to him. We asked him: ‘Come to ’35.’ He turned it down. We knew he was scared.

“Now he’s shaking in his boots that I’m able to make the weight. He wants to come up with any excuse that I’m going to miss it or I feel bad. … It’s just all of it. (I’m doing this because of) my legacy, second belt and being known as the greatest pound-for-pound fighter.”

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UFC on ESPN+ 1 takes place Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Dillashaw vs. Cejudo headlines the main card, which streams on ESPN+ following televised prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

Dillashaw is aware beating Cejudo would significantly elevate his worth, but he said he won’t be content there. For him, a victory would represent the building blocks for bigger things, and whether that’s more titles, defenses of his existing belt or anything else – he’ll be prepared for it.

“We’ll see what comes up with the biggest fights, the biggest names,” Dillashaw said. “Who is going to threaten my throne the most? Is it going to be at ’35? Is it going to be at ’25? Is it going to be me moving up to fight (UFC featherweight champion) Max (Holloway)? I’ve got a lot of options. I’ve got things. I want to leave this sport the greatest of all-time, and to do that I’ve got to fight the guys that people are going to ask, ‘Is he going to win?'”

To hear more from Dillashaw, check out the video above.

For more on UFC on ESPN+ 1, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.

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