Bantamweight Title Is Back Up For Grabs

The UFC Bantamweight title has officially been vacated.

The shocking news was announced on Wednesday by the Outgoing champion T. J. Dillashaw, who tested positive for a P.E.D that has not yet been released to the public yet.  Dillashaw was notified of the “adverse drug test” and immediately took to social media to inform his fans of the situation.

“To all my fans, I wanted to be the first one to let you know that USADA and the NYSAC have informed me of an adverse finding in a test taken for my last fight,” Dillashaw says. “While words can’t even begin to express how disappointed I am at this time, please know that I’m working with my team to understand what has occurred and how to resolve this situation as quickly as possible.”

Dillashaw continued, “Out of fairness and respect to the rest of my division, I’ve informed the UFC that I’ll be voluntarily relinquishing my title while I deal with this matter. I want to thank all of you in advance for the support.”

Dillashaw has maintained that he did not knowingly take any banned substances and has the option to appeal the test, yet the UFC has deemed it necessary to suspend the Bantamweight superstar for a year.

So what does this mean for the rest of the Bantamweight division?

Well for “Majic” Marlon Moraes, it means that a title shot should be enviable. Frankly, it’s overdue in my opinion. Moraes has won his last four fights against top tier opponents including John Dodson, Aljamain Sterling, Jimmie Rivera and a much-anticipated rematch with Raphael Assunção.

Not only is “Majic” on a four-fight win streak, but he has finished his last three fights by way of TKO/KO or submission in the first round. There should be absolutely no question who the number one contender is in the Bantamweight division. The real question is who will face him.

Now I don’t want to sound cruel. I’m actually a Dillashaw fan, but his suspension definitely presents some interesting opportunities for the Bantamweight division. After an impressive TKO/KO victory over former Bantamweight Champion Cody Garbrandt and going 3-0 over his past three fights, Pedro Munoz could be in line for a title shot against “Majic.” Or could we see the former dominant champion Dominick Cruz make his return?  These two opponents for me would be ideal for Moraes. Both high-level opponents who have big name win under their belt, and have earned there shot at gold.

However, my guess is that the UFC will push for Henry Cejudo to move up and challenge for the vacant belt. I personally would be very disappointed if this happened. Being a two weight class champion means being the champion at your own weight class, but also moving up or down in weight to challenge another current champion. The Bantamweight division does not have a campion currently; therefore Cejudo would merely be fighting a contender. Not someone who has fought and earned the belt, and also defended it.

The two have already engaged in social media beef; which let’s be honest, the fans love that shit.

“I was the youngest Olympic gold medalist. I am the UFC flyweight champion and I just knocked out a PED user in 32 seconds,” tweeted Cejudo. “You think I’m afraid of a World Series of Fighting former champion? Lol”

Moraes later responded with this tweet.

“Stay humble my friend take care of your business I will take care of mine or You’ll strike out with me worse than you did with that WWE girl #bantamweightdivision.”

I’ve never been a huge fan of super fights, especially when the division hasn’t been cleaned out yet. Now would I have complained about a super fight with Georges St-Pierre  and Anderson Silva? Absolutely not! Those guys both cleaned out both of their divisions and held titles for years; but we no longer find ourselves in a time where title shots are earned. Title shots are based on business now, and for some reason fans are immediately drawn to super fights. No matter how intriguing the actual fight is.

Bottom line I think it’s ultimately a good thing that Dillashaw will be away for a year, because had he stayed their most likely would have been a second super fight with Cejudo which to me seems highly unnecessary when you have an opponent who is overdue for a title shot.