The rumor mill has been churning and more than one media outlet has spit out that Henry Cejudo is expected to face Jose Aldo for the bantamweight title come May. The controversy in this call is pretty obvious, with a wealth of contenders waiting in the wings and Aldo coming off of a loss (albeit a close one). Many of the top contenders in the division have voiced their displeasure at the rumored bout, from Aljamain Sterling to Petr Yan. 

However, two names that you won’t hear complain about it are Marlon Vera and Casey Kenney, who are ranked #14 and #15 respectively in the bantamweight division. While these two both have no problem with the booking, and are even excited about it, they are for different reasons. 

“I like the Jose Aldo thing. Obviously it’s maybe a little bit different of a title shot, a different way to get a title shot than most, but I’d like to see Jose Aldo vs Cejudo,” Kenney said of the prospective fight. “It’s Jose Aldo, man. If he wants to come down into the weight class [and get a title shot] I’m all for it. That guy is a legend. I think it only brings good things to the bantamweight division.”

The prestige that comes along with the former pound-for-pound great is something that Kenney feels is good for the division. With those extra eyeballs on it, people may just see how special it is. 

“The bantamweight division is hot right now,” he said.  “Look at me and even one above me in Chito Vera,  he’s got five finishes in a row and just cracked into the top 15. Then the rest of the top 15 are killers all around.”

Vera himself has a different take on the situation. While he thinks that Aldo probably won the fight that the judges deemed he lost, the unpredictability of the world of MMA gets him excited for what might happen to him next.  

“We have some stuff like Jose Aldo losing to Marlon Moraes… but he may still get a title shot against Henry Cejudo.He might fight for the title coming off a loss,” Vera said. “That’s what I like about this sport. Things like that get me excited because if somebody gets hurt, that might be me jumping in for a big fight.”

It’s this craziness that keeps Vera in the sport. 

“This is why I’m in this sport; you never know what’s going to happen tomorrow,” he said.