Former UFC two-division champ Henry Cejudo appears to be a step closer to his return to fighting after meeting with two of the most influential men of the company.
Henry Cejudo ruled the lighter weight classes during his time in the promotion to become the champion at both flyweight and bantamweight. After winning his last outing against Dominick Cruz in 2020, Cejudo made a surprise announcement about his retirement from the sport. Many speculated about his seriousness over the decision while UFC president Dana White opted to take him on his word.
Hoping to gain more leverage in negotiations, Cejudo hung up his gloves being at the very top of his game as a double champion. This means that he will likely command more money as the promotion would have to convince him to come out of retirement with more cash. He has been teasing a comeback to fighting ever since retiring.
Earlier this month, Cejudo re-entered the USADA drug-testing pool after a two-year hiatus. Ali Abdelaziz, his manager, reported the news to ESPN after which “Triple C” took to social media to post a screenshot of the confirmation.
Abdelaziz took to Twitter to share the meeting between Henry Cejudo and two of the most powerful men in the UFC. The double champ met with UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby and Hunter Campbell, the Chief Business Officer for the promotion. Both men have garnered a notorious reputation in the community and largely dictate the careers of their fighters deciding who they will face next.
Henry Cejudo calls out “b*tch” Aljamain Sterling
Having never lost either of his belts inside the octagon, Henry Cejudo vacated them shortly after his last fight at UFC 249. ‘The Messenger’ is aiming for the current UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling for his return bout as he addressed him as “the number one contender”.
“I’m coming back for these tomato cans and I’m going to right the wrong! Aljolame you the number one contender Bitch @funkmasterMMA@danawhite“
Sterling unified his UFC title with a split decision win over former interim titleholder Petr Yan at UFC 273 this month. Aljo wasted no time in responding to Cejudo with brevity.
Lolololololol
And
LOLhttps://t.co/QuhCP2jfgj
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) April 23, 2022
A third fight with Yan could be on the cards but not in the near future. For his next opponent, Aljo may face T.J. Dillashaw who has remained in the mix of title contention to challenge the champion.
With Cejudo inching his way closer to being back in the UFC, it’s unclear if he could get a shot at the title or will have to start with a top contender eliminator bout as expressed by Dana White in the past.