Dillashaw would ultimately relinquish his title after testing positive for EPO following his failed attempt to capture the flyweight title at the start of 2019, resulting in an interim title bout being put together between flyweight champ Henry Cejudo and top contender Marlon Moraes.
Cejudo had made quick work of Dillashaw in January, catching him seconds into their flyweight championship clash and securing the finish, but now he was venturing up a division in search of a second title. Moraes entered on a four-fight winning streak, having posted consecutive stoppage wins over Aljamain Sterling, Jimmie Rivera, and Raphael Assuncao.
The Brazilian came out of the gates quickly and controlled the opening stanza, blasting Cejudo with kicks and stuffing the first takedown attempt of the former Olympic gold medalist. But Cejudo adjusted well between rounds, becoming the aggressor in the second, and started to really take control of the fight in the latter half of the frame, drawing the Brazilian into more of a brawl, forcing him to expend his energy, and hurting him with knees in the clinch.
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Cejudo continued to pressure in the third, and Moraes wilted. The flyweight champion recognized that his adversary was exhausted and took it to him, dragging him to the canvas, threatening with a D’arce choke, and pounding out the finish with a series of elbows and hammerfists as the final seconds of the round ticked off the clock.
With the victory, Cejudo became a two-weight champion in the UFC, dubbed himself “Triple C,” a nod to his Olympic medal and twin UFC titles, and cemented his place in the pantheon of all-time greats.
