Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo will make a significant change in order to remain a part of the UFC’s roster.
According to a recent report from MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani, Cejudo, who recently dropped out of a scheduled flyweight bout at UFC 177 against Scott Jorgensen, is willing to move up in weight to bantamweight (135 pounds) to continue his career.
This decision comes in response to UFC President Dana White’s declaration that Cejudo would need to try his luck in a different weight class to stay in the UFC.
“Henry is absolutely interested in competing in the UFC and will be happy to move to 135 pounds,” Cejudo‘s manager Bill McFarlane told Helwani.
For MMA fans, this is an absolute relief.
Cejudo has repeatedly missed weight or pulled out of fights at the last mintue throughout his career as a flyweight, and a move up to bantamweight should allow him to safely compete more regularly.
McFarlane spoke to Helwani about Cejudo‘s weight cut to 125 pounds, telling the reporter Cejudo showed up to Sacramento in the week leading up to UFC 177 weighing 137 pounds. By Friday morning (the day of the weigh-ins), Cejudo was down to 130 pounds, but his body shut down and he began to suffer from nausea and cramping.
From there, Cejudo was taken to the hospital, and his fight with Jorgensen was officially canceled.
In addition to this, Cejudo withdrew from three fights over the past nine months, a point highlighted by MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz. He’s also missed weight several times throughout his career, including in his most recent fight at Legacy Fighting Championship 27.
Still, at 27 years old and with a 6-0 professional MMA record to complement his Olympic gold medal in wrestling, Cejudo is a top-level prospect in the UFC. If all goes according to plan, this move to bantamweight should revitalize his career and allow him to show off his full range of talents inside the Octagon.
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