After being flagged for a potential United States Anti-Doping Agency violation, TJ “The Viper” Dillashaw, 33, of Denver, Colorado, United States is expected to vacate the UFC Bantamweight Championship title soon. The first two fighters who expressed interest in the title are reigning UFC Flyweight Champion Henry “The Messenger” Cejudo, 32, of Phoenix, Arizona, USA and number one UFC bantamweight contender Marlon “Magic” Moraes, 30, of Toms River, New Jersey, USA.

Both Cejudo and Moraes are managed by Ali Abdelaziz. On March 20, 2019, the two UFC fighters went back and forth with each other on Twitter.

I was the youngest Olympic gold medalist. I am the UFC flyweight champion and I just knocked out a PED user in 32 seconds. You think I’m afraid of a World Series of Fighting former champion? Lol https://t.co/cxlm6Xevg9

— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) March 21, 2019

On January 19, 2019, while reigning as the UFC Bantamweight Champion, Dillashaw made an attempt to capture the UFC Flyweight Championship belt from Cejudo in the main event of “UFC Fight Night 143” at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, USA. The defending champion knocked out the challenger via punches after 32 seconds in the first round.

The loss downgraded Dillashaw’s professional mixed martial arts record to 16 wins and 4 losses. On the other hand, Cejudo now has 14 wins and 2 losses.

Cejudo was born in Los Angeles, California, USA on February 9, 1987 to Mexican parents. He joined the UFC in 2014 and he has been reigning as the UFC Flyweight Champion since August 4, 2018 when he dethroned then champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, 32, of Parkland, Washington, USA at “UFC 227” at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Both Cejudo and Moraes are riding a four-bout winning streak. The latter has been competing in the UFC since 2017 and was defeated only once in the promotion.

Moraes was born on April 26, 1988 in Nova Friburgo, Brazil. Before joining the UFC, he competed in World Series of Fighting.

On March 29, 2014, Moraes competed for the inaugural WSOF Bantamweight Championship against Josh “The Finisher” Rettinghouse, 29, of Spokane, Washington at “WSOF 9” at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The former won and held the title until January 3, 2017 when he became an unrestricted free agent and vacated the title.

Currently, Moraes holds a professional MMA record of 22 wins, 5 losses and 1 draw.