“It’s surreal,” said the 2008 Olympic gold medalist. “It really is.”
He’s not lying, as he took what was expected to be a five-round clash of elite competitors and turned it into a dominant effort that made a case that the flyweight division is as vibrant as ever.
“This victory was much bigger than me,” Cejudo said. “This was for the flyweights. I hope it was enough to keep the division alive.”
Cejudo and Dillashaw came out fast as soon as referee Kevin MacDonald waved them together, and Cejudo made an immediate impact, stunning Dillashaw with a right hand. That’s all Cejudo needed, as he pounced with a series of bombs designed to end the fight. Dillashaw gamely tried to regain his feet, but Cejudo kept throwing and landing until MacDonald halted the fight at the 32-second mark. Dillashaw protested the stoppage, but to no avail.
With the win, Arizona’s Cejudo moves to 14-2. California’s Dillashaw falls to 17-4.
