UFC flyweight champion Henry Cejudo is a man who appreciates his hardware.

You'll hear from time to time about a UFC champion who keeps the title belt in a closet somewhere. Or maybe "at mom's house." Every champ is different, in terms of the value he or she puts on the physical belt. Cejudo is one who cherishes his.

He has transformed a prominent wall in his Arizona residence into a shrine of his athletic achievements. Wrestling plaques. Photos. An Olympic medal (perhaps you've heard, he won a gold one at the 2008 Games). Two framed UFC belts.

It's an impressive collection. If Cejudo (14-2) were to retire right now, his legacy would be a strong one. And yet, there will be much at stake for him Saturday when he meets Marlon Moraes (22-5-1) for the vacant bantamweight championship at UFC 238 in Chicago.

Complete coverage of UFC 238 • Order UFC 238

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• How to bet UFC 238

• The remarkable comeback of Jessica Eye

• Tempo a key factor in Cerrone-Ferguson

• UFC 238 could be viewed as a bantamweight tournament

• How Blagoy Ivanov cheated death to become a UFC contender

• Pedro Munhoz balances passion for fighting with inner peace

• Wrestling helped Sterling find his way

• Cowboy Cerrone's Wild Ride at the BMF Ranch

If Cejudo wins, he will be a two-division champion and a candidate for best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. He'll have to continue to promote himself, as he has done consistently in 2019, but his level of reach will greatly expand from what it is now. That is a certain perk of reaching the status of "Champ Champ."

If he loses, he'll still be a champion, but in a 125-pound weight class that the UFC has made pretty clear it has zero interest in keeping alive. And while Cejudo will still have an audience, it will be hard for him to maintain the attention of fans if he's holding only a championship belt the promotion is barely in the business of wanting to have.

Cejudo is in a great spot going into UFC 238 -- a card on which he will share the spotlight not just with Moraes but also with women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko (16-3), who will defend her belt in the co-main event against No. 1 contender Jessica Eye (14-6, 1 NC). But Cejudo is also at a crossroads. There is a lot on the line for him.

Men's bantamweight title: Cejudo vs. Moraes

ESPN Stats & Information

By the numbers

4: Consecutive wins for Moraes, whose streak is tied for the longest active run at bantamweight with those of Petr Yan (also on the UFC 238 card) and TJ Dillashaw (coming off a flyweight loss to Moraes' opponent, Cejudo).

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32: Seconds it took Cejudo, in his last fight, to knock out then-bantamweight champ Dillashaw. It was tied (with Tito Ortiz's finish of Evan Tanner in 2001) for fifth-fastest KO in UFC title fight history, behind Conor McGregor over Jose Aldo in 2015 (13 seconds), Andrei Arlovski over Paul Buentello in 2005 (15 seconds), Ronda Rousey over Alexis Davis in 2014 (16 seconds) and Frank Shamrock over Igor Zinoviev in 1998 (22 seconds).

6:59: Average fight time for Moraes, the shortest for an active UFC bantamweight (minimum five fights).

19: Career takedowns in the UFC for Cejudo, according to UFC Stats data. He has at least one in eight of his 10 fights in the promotion.

5: Title defenses for Moraes when he was World Series of Fighting bantamweight champ. Cejudo has made zero defenses of the 125-pound UFC belt he won in 2018.

Source: ESPN Stats & Information

A look back

Henry Cejudo was covered in glory -- and Old Glory -- in August 2008 as the 21-year-old celebrated winning the gold medal in freestyle wrestling (55 kilograms) at the Olympic Games in Beijing. Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty Images

Five vs. five

Fighting words

"Marlon Moraes is a lot more dangerous than TJ [Dillashaw]. His biggest threat is his power. I mean, look at him: He's knocked out three opponents in the first round. He's got vicious power. In MMA, that's scary. That's scary because it just takes one blow, one hit, and that's it. But so do I [have power] -- so do I, and I'm showing it. I'm getting better. I'm stronger and I'm faster." -- Cejudo, speaking to ESPN

"You are trying to take food from my family. You're trying to take my dream. I'm going to f--- you up, man. I'm aiming to put my hand inside your head. I'm aiming to put you to sleep." -- Moraes, speaking to ESPN

Dom and Gil's film study

Okamoto's pick

This looks like a tough stylistic fight for Cejudo. He's moving up to fight a true bantamweight at the 135-pound limit. Moraes is such a gifted striker, and he won't be easy to take down. My mind says Moraes ... but I don't know, something in my gut is going the other way. Cejudo via decision.

Waiting in the wings

Well, there will be two interested observers right there at the United Center, plus two who maybe can't bear to watch the main event because of a missed opportunity. The winners of the two undercard bantamweight bouts -- Jimmie Rivera vs. Petr Yan, No. 7 in ESPN's 135-pound rankings, on the main card and No. 5 Aljamain Sterling vs. fourth-ranked Pedro Munhoz on the ESPN prelims -- will have put themselves in position to call for a title shot. Which one will have made the stronger case with the more eye-opening performance?

Women's flyweight title: Shevchenko vs. Eye

ESPN Illustration

By the numbers

5: Takedowns by Shevchenko in December's title-winning bout with Joanna Jedrzejczyk, a UFC career high. Shevchenko is 5-0 when landing multiple takedowns, 0-2 when she doesn't.

3: Consecutive victories by Eye, her longest win streak since 2013 and tied for the longest active streak in the UFC flyweight division's short history.

11: Finishes for Shevchenko among her 16 victories (6 submissions, 5 KO/TKOs).

10: Decisions among Eye's 14 career wins.

-1,400: Odds favoring Shevchenko in this fight (wager $1,400 to win $100).

Source: ESPN Stats & Information

A look back

Valentina Shevchenko gave bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes her toughest challenge in their September 2017 title fight. Nunes, who won her belt with a finish and has had KOs in all of her other fights since, eked out a split decision against Shevchenko. Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

Five vs. five

Fighting words

"You want to work out next to me? Fine. I'll squat more than you. You want to see me wrestle? You're going to get really scared when you see me wrestle. You want to see me punch? Your whole training camp is going to be nothing about what you can do. It's going to be about me." -- Eye, speaking to ESPN about training in the same facility as her opponent

"For me, it's nothing. I even can say hello to her. For me, it doesn't cost anything, because in the Octagon we have to fight. Right now I have to prepare for my fight. This is what I think about everything, all day long: to be the best version of me for my fight. I don't spend too much energy on different things." -- Shevchenko, speaking to MMA Junkie about the same subject

Dom and Gil's film study

Okamoto's pick

Shevchenko might be the best female fighter on the planet. Currently, that distinction tends to go to Amanda Nunes, for good reason, but there are some who felt Shevchenko actually beat Nunes when they fought for the second time in 2017 -- and she was fighting up a weight class in that bout. She's at home at 125, and she's going to reign for a while. Shevchenko via TKO, third round.

Waiting in the wings

In this case, too, the next in line could be right there in the building. The opening fight of the night pits Katlyn Chookagian, No. 4 in the ESPN flyweight rankings, against No. 5 Joanne Calderwood. Chookagian is coming off a loss to Eye, though, so she'd have to be especially impressive against Calderwood, winner of two straight, to earn a title shot.

What to watch for (beyond the title fights)

The! Greatest! Fight! Ever!*

* That is not billed as a main event or co-main

ESPN Stats & Information

Having Tony Ferguson or Donald Cerrone on the bill is a win for a fight card. Having them both is a KO. Having them across the cage from each other could mean Fight of the Night.

This is a collision of guys who come to fight and to take the fight out of the other guy. Ferguson (25-3) has 20 career stoppages (11 KO/TKOs, 9 submissions), and Cerrone (36-11, 1 NC) has finished 27 of his wins (17 subs, 10 KO/TKOs).

Donald Cerrone's UFC Ranks Category Total Rank Fights 31 2nd* Wins 23 1st Knockdowns 20 1st Finishes 16 1st Bonuses 17 1st * = Saturday will tie record

Ferguson has not lost since 2013; his 11-fight win streak ties him with lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov for longest active run in the UFC.

Cerrone, on the other hand, is on a resurgence. Since dropping four of five fights from early 2017 through mid-2018, he has won three in a row, his past two in a return to 155 pounds after an up-and-down spell at welterweight.

Ferguson has had well-documented personal problems of late. Cerrone is fighting just 35 days after going five tough rounds with Al Iaquinta. Who knows what either of these guys will have in him on Saturday? But their fighting history tells us they'll both unleash everything they have, and "El Cucuy" vs. "Cowboy" will be something to see.

You'll see this fight on SportsCenter in the morning

See above.

Most in need of a win

This is a competition with multiple entrants. That's a big positive for the fans because fights with consequences tend to get the blood circulating at a more urgent rhythm.

And the must-win scenarios are a positive for the fighters involved, too, because in this case they're battling not for their jobs but for championship opportunities.

Beyond the three fights mentioned in the two "Waiting in the wings" sections above, there's one more that also has the potential to earn someone an immediate title shot. Tatiana Suarez and Nina Ansaroff, who meet in the feature fight of the ESPN prelims, both have résumés worthy of calling out new strawweight champion Jessica Andrade with this one more win. Suarez is 7-0 as a pro, and Ansaroff (10-5) has won four in a row.

Nickname of the night

It's tough to beat "Evil" if you're a fighter whose last name is Eye. With every chug of his cageside victory celebration, Tai Tuivasa reminds the world of where his "Shoeyvasa" moniker comes from. There's a certain simplicity in Chookagian's "Blonde Fighter," and mystery to the nth power in Yan Xiaonan's "Nine." But c'mon, Darren Stewart earned his nickname by knocking an opponent's teeth out. Ever since, he has been known as "The Dentist." Open wide and give a cheer for that one.