Cejudo on Inside MMA talking about his upcoming MMA debut.
With the future of Olympic wrestling up in the air, it isn’t necessarily a surprise to learn that some Olympic hopefuls are giving MMA a shot. Earlier this week, it was announced that Henry Cejudo, the youngest American wrestler to win an Olympic gold medal, is preparing to make his MMA debut in March.
The twenty-six year old wrestler failed to make the Olympic team in 2012, but has had a very decorated amateur wrestling career, including an Olympic gold medal at 55 kg (121 lbs) in 2008. This doesn’t mean that Cejudo is completely one-dimensional, however. He also has over three years of amateur boxing experience, which includes winning a Copper Gloves tournament in 2010.
Despite wrestling at 121 pounds, Cejudo will compete in MMA at bantamweight. His professional debut will take place on March 2 in Tucson, Arizona. Yes, that’s next Saturday, and no, his opponent isn’t exactly a legend killer. His opponent will be Michael Poe, an 0-4 fighter who has only made it out of the first round once. Unless Cejudo comes into this bout without any knowledge of submission defense, it’s hard to see him losing this one.
Regardless of the outcome of his debut, Cejudo has already agreed to a multifight deal with Gladiator Challenge. He is scheduled to make his promotional debut on March 24 against an opponent to be determined. Cejudo hopes to compete eight times this year. No, that “eight” is not a typo.
With that said, what are the odds that Cejudo actually manages to compete that many times this year? Would it be smarter for him to fight at flyweight? Let us know in the comments section.