Henry Cejudo-TJ Dillashaw bout to headline Jan. 19 card in Brooklyn

ByARIEL HELWANI
December 5, 2018, 10:06 PM

The UFC's return to Brooklyn finally has its main event.

Henry Cejudo (13-2) versus TJ Dillashaw (16-3) for the UFC flyweight title will headline the event on Jan. 19 in New York, multiple sources told ESPN. The fight was originally supposed to headline UFC 233 on Jan. 26 in Anaheim, California. However, the UFC decided to move the title fight up a week after several other options fell through. The promotion is currently working on adding a new title fight to UFC 233, sources said.

The card will mark the UFC's debut on ESPN and ESPN+. The main event will air on ESPN+.

Dillashaw, the UFC's bantamweight champion, will be moving down to challenge Cejudo for the 125-pound belt, which Cejudo won in August by defeating long-reigning champion Demetrious Johnson via split decision.

Coincidentally, Dillashaw also won on that same August card, UFC 227, as he defeated Cody Garbrandt via first-round TKO.

Dillashaw said on a recent episode of "Ariel Helwani's MMA Show" that he was sent down to flyweight "to kill" the division; however, the UFC has yet to confirm that it plans on shutting down the weight class, despite speculation suggesting it might.

The event will mark the UFC's third at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.