Henry Cejudo’s “Triple C” nickname has lost its luster.
The Olympic gold medalist in wrestling and former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight and Bantamweight titleholder returned for one of his thrones at UFC 288 this past month (May 6, 2023). Unfortunately for Cejudo, he came up short in his bid opposite the current 135-pound champion, Aljamain Sterling, via a hard-fought split decision.
Cejudo’s confidence was high as always, hoping to recapture the Bantamweight title before defending it once and moving up to try and take the Featherweight strap from Alexander Volkanovski. After going toe-to-toe with “Funkmaster,” Cejudo has labeled Sterling as the greatest Bantamweight of all time. While flattering to hear, Sterling is more concerned about his recent foe honoring their pre-fight bet.
“That’s cool,” Sterling told The Schmo of Cejudo’s comments. “He’s a guy who doesn’t really give out a lot of compliments, credit to a lot of people, especially in his weight class, I should say. So, for him to say that, that means a lot coming from him. At the end of the day, I don’t really give a s—t. That’s one man’s opinion.
“At the end of the day, I’m just waiting for my gold medal because we made an agreement that after I win and after I take him down more times than he takes me down that he would give me the gold medal. So, Henry, where the f—k is my gold medal?”
Sterling managed to outwrestle Cejudo officially four takedowns to three, according to UFC Stats. As Sterling waits for his prize from Cejudo, he’ll prepare for his next challenger, Sean O’Malley. The top Bantamweights are set to headline UFC 292 on Aug. 19, 2023, in Boston, Massachusetts.