Henry Cejudo thinks Amir Albazi has emerged as a top flyweight contender after UFC Fight Night 216.
Albazi (16-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) knocked out Alessandro Costa this past Saturday at the UFC Apex, showing that he’s not just a submission specialist. Although Albazi’s win came over a short-notice replacement making his UFC debut, it’s the fashion in which he put Costa away and the work he’s done in his octagon run that have impressed Cejudo.
“The flyweight guy that everybody needs to keep their eyes on, I’m talking about Amir Albazi,” Cejudo said on his YouTube channel. “He’s going to be a nightmare for anybody at 125 pounds. He has grit, he has the mentality, he was able to show, especially in his fight against Alessandro from Brazil, how he was able to knock him out.
“At flyweight when you’re able to catch these uppercuts, these hooks, these right hands on people, and you’re able to fold them and put them out, those are the guys that you really want to watch out for. Those are the dangerous guys. Those are the guys that, when I see him, I see a very technical guy that knows when to take risk at the right time.”
Cejudo even issued a warning to UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, whom he helped coach in his most recent title-winning performance against Brandon Moreno.
Cejudo, a former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champ, mapped out a plan for Albazi to earn a title shot and doesn’t think he’s too far off.
“I personally called Deiveson Figueiredo and let him know, ‘Hey, man, keep your eye on this guy, because this guy does produce power,'” Cejudo said. “He could wrestle, he could defend, he’s a pretty well rounded fighter, and if I was a 125 pounds, which I’m not no more, I’d keep my eyes on him.
“I do believe in the future, this guy is a future title contender. He’s got anywhere between one to two fights before he fights for the title. I can see him fighting against Matheus Nicolau. If I was him, that’s the fight that I would call out and then call out a Kai Kara-France or somebody in that top three, top four, and you will get the next title shot.”
