Dana White Credits Henry Cejudo, Says Male Flyweight Division to Remain in UFC

Winning the vacant bantamweight crown seemingly cleared the way for Henry Cejudo to exit the flyweight division and pursue a title reign in a new division.

Instead, Cejudo’s victory over Marlon Moraes in the UFC 238 headliner may have saved an entire weight class. The demise of the flyweight division has been rumored for months, and the promotion has fueled that speculation by gradually trimming its roster of 125-pound talent.

However, at Saturday’s post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White claimed that flyweight isn’t going anywhere.

“Obviously him [Cejudo] winning had a lot to do with the division,” White said. “Did I say it’s going away? Did I say it’s leaving? I haven’t even talked about that division in months. Yes, it is confirmed [it’s staying].”

For now, it’s unclear whether Cejudo’s next bout will take place at bantamweight or flyweight. Regardless of what the future holds, White came away impressed with the Olympic gold medalist, who became the fourth simultaneous two-division champion in promotion history. Cejudo’s recent resume includes victories over Demetrious Johnson, T.J. Dillashaw and now, Moraes.

“I’m blown away,” White said. “This guy has heard it all, from ‘Oh, you didn’t really beat Demetrious,’ ‘It was a fluke when you knocked out T.J.’ — you can’t deny the guy anymore. He’s awesome.

“We’ll sit down with him and figure out what he’s talking about [for his next opponent] and what we’ll do.”