Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
I was naive enough to think Henry Cejudo would abandon his shtick and fade into the background after last May’s retirement from mixed martial arts (MMA), but alas, it appears the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight champion — who also held gold at 125 pounds — is taking his “Triple C” routine to the grave.
Join me in a collective groan.
Cejudo was on social media last weekend to take pot shots at once-beaten bantamweight prospect Sean O’Malley. “Sugar” had a recent back-and-forth squabble with the Olympian (sample it here) so I guess the post-fight puns are fair game.
“I fought DJ and Marlon with no legs!” Cejudo wrote. “This two pump chump broke his nail and can’t compete.”
O’Malley was elevated to the UFC 252 pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event but lost by way of technical knockout after what appeared to be another leg injury. A timeline for his recovery has yet to be established but no doubt the “Chito” loss will hurt his momentum.
As for Cejudo, there has been talk of coming off the bench to fight UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. The promotion, however, has been lukewarm on championship one-offs (like this one) because if “Triple C” wins and scurries back to retirement, the division will be left in shambles.