Henry Cejudo thought he could fight off the pain of a hand injury and make it to UFC 211. That didn’t happen as Cejudo was forced out of his bout with Sergio Pettis inside the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. It was set to be the first bout on the pay-per-view (PPV) portion of […]
Henry Cejudo thought he could fight off the pain of a hand injury and make it to UFC 211. That didn’t happen as Cejudo was forced out of his bout with Sergio Pettis inside the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. It was set to be the first bout on the pay-per-view (PPV) portion of […]
This Saturday’s (May 13, 2017) stacked UFC 211 main card from Dallas almost made it to fight time without a hitch. Almost. News arrived last night that former flyweight title contender Henry Cejudo had been forced out of his main card bout versus Sergio Pettis with a hand injury. The bout was set to open
This Saturday’s (May 13, 2017) stacked UFC 211 main card from Dallas almost made it to fight time without a hitch.
Almost.
News arrived last night that former flyweight title contender Henry Cejudo had been forced out of his main card bout versus Sergio Pettis with a hand injury. The bout was set to open the PPV main card, but now the middleweight bout between David Branch and Krzysztof Jotko has replaced it.
The younger Pettis brother will reportedly be paid his show money without having to make weight, and it’s unknown at this point if the fight will be rescheduled at a later date.
For his part, Cejudo addressed the unfortunate situation in a statemetn to MMA Fighting, explaining the specifics of the injury and apologizing to both the fans and Pettis:
It is with regret that I have to announce I have had to pull out of my fight with Sergio Pettis this Saturday at UFC 211 due to injury.
I really want to apologize to the fans and to Sergio Pettis for this unfortunate event.
About two weeks ago I injured my hand sparring, and went to the doctor to get it examined after I was unable to grapple or punch. The doctor looked at X-rays and informed me my hand wasn’t broken, so I assumed it was just bruised or sprained. I stopped using my hand for the next week and a half to allow it to rest as much as possible, and I had multiple prp treatments as well as an ultrasound in hopes of breaking up any build up or swelling.
After arriving in Dallas on Tuesday evening, I hit mitts with my striking coach to get my timing down, and after I threw my first punch, a sharp pain shot through my wrist and hand.
My team and I contacted the UFC to see if a cortisone shot would be allowed. The UFC sent me to a hand specialist, and he told me I had a cyst in my wrist as well as a ruptured capsule with the possibility of a tear in the ligament. He informed me the cortisone shot could possibly do more damage than any benefit and told me it would be insane to fight. He contacted the UFC doctors and informed them that my wrist and hand were unfit to fight this Saturday.
I will schedule an appointment with a hand specialist next week and figure out the next course of action.
It looks like Henry Cejudo vs. Sergio Pettis won’t be happening at UFC 211. The flyweight bout was set to open the pay-per-view (PPV) portion of UFC 211. That’s not going to happen thanks to a hand injury Cejudo is suffering from. MMAFighting.com reported the news via multiple sources. Pettis will earn his show money […]
It looks like Henry Cejudo vs. Sergio Pettis won’t be happening at UFC 211. The flyweight bout was set to open the pay-per-view (PPV) portion of UFC 211. That’s not going to happen thanks to a hand injury Cejudo is suffering from. MMAFighting.com reported the news via multiple sources. Pettis will earn his show money […]
This UFC 211 bout is kind of a make or break fight for both fighters! Henry Cejudo has matched expectations thus far, but is now in a sticky spot courtesy of a defeat at the hands of Joseph Benavidez. On the other end of the octagon is going to be Sergio Pettis who started off weak […]
This UFC 211 bout is kind of a make or break fight for both fighters! Henry Cejudo has matched expectations thus far, but is now in a sticky spot courtesy of a defeat at the hands of Joseph Benavidez. On the other end of the octagon is going to be Sergio Pettis who started off weak but has really turned the tables around thanks to his victory against the very reputable Chris Cariaso and not to mention a formidable win against John Moraga, both former contenders to the title.
While Cejudo will be keen to get back to winning ways, Pettis will do everything in his power to keep his winning run going. This is precisely what will make this match highly interesting. However, we believe Cejudo has the upper hand is the favorite here, he simply has a tad too much quality and experience for Pettis to deal with. If Pettis wants to stand a chance of actually causing an upset result, he will have to bring his A game for sure, or maybe even more.
For our prediction, while Pettis is certainly a fighter with good potential, we simply cannot see him outdoing the brute strength, technicality and agility of Henry Cejudo. Having said that, over confidence could prove to be the demise of Cejudo here. We will have to go with Henry Cejudo for the win by unanimous decision.
The main card of UFC 211 features two top level flyweights, each of whom could be considered for a title challenge with a few more good wins. While Henry Cejudo may have already had his crack at glory, Sergio Pettis is looking to throw his card into the Demetrious Johnson sweepstakes (a prize that I’m not sure anyone truly wants to win at this point). This fight has a lot riding on it for both fighters and it’s good to see it opening up the main card for one of the more stacked events of the year (good job UFC, keep this up and people may end up caring about flyweight).
The main card of UFC 211 features two top level flyweights, each of whom could be considered for a title challenge with a few more good wins. While Henry Cejudo may have already had his crack at glory, Sergio Pettis is looking to throw his card into the Demetrious Johnson sweepstakes (a prize that I’m not sure anyone truly wants to win at this point). This fight has a lot riding on it for both fighters and it’s good to see it opening up the main card for one of the more stacked events of the year (good job UFC, keep this up and people may end up caring about flyweight).
Henry Cejudo has the tools to give anyone at 125 lbs tons of issues. His mix of gritty, powerful and technical wrestling has matched well with his kickboxing style. Cejudo showed in his bout with Joseph Benavidez that he has the ability to go three hard rounds against a tactical and fast paced opponent. His kicking game was also very impressive. The biggest flaw in that fight however was how much power he threw into every shot. If he learns to fight at a more measured pace, picking his shots, flashing the jab to control distance, and level changes when Pettis over commits, we could see Cejudo put on a dominant performance.
The plan of attack for Cejudo should be fairly straight forward. Takedowns will play a major role, as will controlling the clinch and landing heavy punches on the break. Cejudo is likely to have a strength advantage here and he needs to let Pettis understand that as soon as the first bell rings. Cejudo fell in love with his power a bit in his bout with Joseph Benavidez and he’ll want to avoid that here. Basic boxing combinations like the double jab cross will be effective in this fight. He’ll need to stay in Pettis’ face and stay busy the whole time in order prevent the younger man from trying to control the distance. Pettis wants distance which means Cejudo needs to make him feel claustrophobic and fight in a phone booth. Ending combinations with either a left hook or right round kick will do Cejudo a ton of good.
Sergio Pettis may not have the flash and flare of his older brother, but he does indeed have a more complete game. The younger Pettis looks to mix up his attack with sharp striking coupled with some nicely timed level changes. Rather than just focus purely on knocking opponents out, Pettis likes to employ a game that keeps his opposition guessing. He’s as likely to fire off a blistering head kick as he is to shoot for a takedown.
The goal for Pettis here is to frustrate Cejudo and get his distance with kicks immediately before the Olympic wrestler can get comfortable. While kicking against a wrestler can be ill advised, if you get the distance just right it can keep the shorter Cejudo on the outside. The benefit of Sergio Pettis being from a traditional martial arts background means that he has the ability to throw strikes from both stances. It will allow him to confuse Cejudo and, once his opponent is bewildered, land a devastating rear round kick or cross from the southpaw stance.
Most important for Pettis is to ensure his feet keep moving. The younger Pettis has a tendency to stand still at times which can get him into all kinds of trouble with a power puncher and wrestler of Cejudo’s caliber.
Which flyweight will take one step closer to punching their ticket for the Demetrious Johnson horror show?
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
The UFC continues to stack the card for UFC 211 PPV (pay-per-view) event. The promotion recently announced that former championship contender Henry Cejudo would face Sergio Pettis in a flyweight bout at the event. No word yet on if this bout will be featured on the main or preliminary card. This is a big fight
The UFC continues to stack the card for UFC 211 PPV (pay-per-view) event. The promotion recently announced that former championship contender Henry Cejudo would face Sergio Pettis in a flyweight bout at the event. No word yet on if this bout will be featured on the main or preliminary card.
This is a big fight for not only the fighters but for the fans as this fight is a matter of staying in the title picture as well as a fight that could send the winner up the ladder in the rankings.
Cejudo (10-2) is coming off back-to-back losses after opening his professional career with 10 straight wins. He lost to champion Demetrious Johnson by first-round TKO last April at UFC 197 and then a split-decision loss to Joseph Benavidez.
Pettis (15-2,) is on a three fight winning streak and is coming off a win over John Moraga by unanimous decision in January at UFC Fight Night 103.
UFC 211 takes place May 13th at the American Airlines Center. The night’s main card will air live on pay-per-view while the prelims will air on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass. Stipe Miocic vs. Junior Dos Santos for the heavyweight title will headline this event while Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Jessica Andrade for the strawweight title will serve as the co-main event. Here is the updated card for the event:
Stipe Miocic vs. Junior Dos Santos – for heavyweight title
Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Jessica Andrade – for strawweight title
