No. 2 ranked bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley doesn’t expect to see Henry Cejudo back in the Octagon ever again.
‘Triple C’ made a comeback at UFC 288 on May 6, challenging reigning 135-pound king Aljamain Sterling in an entertaining main event matchup. After 25 minutes of closely contested action, Sterling escaped with his title intact via a split decision. Immediately following the fight, an understandably dejected Cejudo seemed ready to resume his retirement before signing on the dotted line for a fight with division standout Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera at UFC 292 in August.
Unfortunately, that fight is no longer on the docket as a shoulder injury has seemingly sidelined Cejudo for the next six-to-eight weeks.
During a recent episode of his Timbo Sugar Show podcast on YouTube, Sean O’Malley suggested that fans have seen the last of Henry Cejudo inside the Octagon following his failed attempt to regain the bantamweight world title and subsequent injury.
“I think Henry is done. Done, he’s retired, he’s not coming back,” O’Malley said. “He tried to come back, no one really cared. He got paid a little bit of money. I don’t think (he’ll be back). A shoulder injury, so that must have been pretty bad if he couldn’t fight. And he’s already 36, right? Something like that” (h/t MMA News).
Sean O’Malley Looks to Accomplish What Henry Cejudo Could Not
Sean O’Malley will be in action on August 19 when the promotion heads back to Boston for UFC 292. ‘Sugar’ will step into the main event spotlight as he challenges Aljamain Sterling for the bantamweight crown. O’Malley earned his first title opportunity with a split decision win over former champion Petr Yan in October. By the time O’Malley attempts to cash in, it will have been nearly a year removed from his last appearance inside the Octagon.
During that same timeframe, Aljamain Sterling will have stepped into the cage for the third time come UFC 292, having already defeated former champions T.J. Dillashaw and Henry Cejudo. His UFC 288 scrap with ‘Triple C’ will have only been in the books for three months by the time he goes toe-to-toe with Sean O’Malley in Beantown.