Henry Cejudo could see Justin Gaethje emerge as the No. 1 contender after UFC 313.
Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) rematches Rafael Fiziev (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in Saturday’s co-main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews/Disney+, ESPN+).
Gaethje knows UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev is seeking new blood, and “The Highlight” is yet to fight him. Ilia Topuria vacated his featherweight title for a move up to 155 pounds, but Cejudo recalls his conversation with Khabib Nurmagomedov, and how he thinks Topuria needs at least one win before a title shot.
“I just feel like there’s a statement that Justin Gaethje needs to do, that wants to do,” Cejudo said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Kamaru Usman. “This is what I love about Justin. He’s creating a storyline of him saying that if I go out and perform, I am going to skip Ilia Topuria and I am going to fight Islam Makhachev. I love it.
“I do believe it could actually happen because when I sat