Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images
Henry Cejudo wants you to know that he gave up his 125-pound title willingly.
Henry Cejudo is not a double champ any more. The currently-injured fighter won the UFC bantamweight title back in June, to go along with the flyweight strap he captured from Demetrious Johnson back in August of 2018. But since he’s not able to defend and seems more interested in continuing on at 135 pounds, the UFC has decided to let Joseph Benavidez and Deveison Figueiredo fight it out for the flyweight title.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether they were fighting for an interim belt or the full title, but it will indeed be for the full title. And Cejudo wants it to be known that he wasn’t stripped of the title by the promotion. He told MMA Junkie that he gave it up willingly:
“I am not being stripped. I am relinquishing my title. … ‘Triple C’ is relinquishing his title to these wannabe, so-called flyweight kingpins. That’s what’s going on. I’m relinquishing my belt. Being stripped is not what I’m doing. I’m relinquishing, and you can tell them all to bend the knee.”
Cejudo (15-2, 9-2 UFC) is still rehabbing his shoulder and it’s unclear exactly when he’ll be back in the Octagon. Benavidez and Figueiredo will headline a UFC Fight Night event in Norfolk, VA, on February 29th.