Tag: Henry Cejudo

Henry Cejudo Provides Update On UFC Return Timeline, Teases Major Career Change

Having failed to reconquer one of the divisions he previously ruled over, former two-weight UFC champion Henry Cejudo wants a crack at the other. Cejudo simultaneously held both the bantamweight and flyweight titles in 2019, eventually relinquishing the latter in December 2019 and the former following his retirement post-knocking out Dominick Cruz in May 2020. […]

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Having failed to reconquer one of the divisions he previously ruled over, former two-weight UFC champion Henry Cejudo wants a crack at the other.

Cejudo simultaneously held both the bantamweight and flyweight titles in 2019, eventually relinquishing the latter in December 2019 and the former following his retirement post-knocking out Dominick Cruz in May 2020.

“Triple C’s” decision to hang up his gloves was widely questioned, with many predicting an eventual comeback. That came in 2023, but his return to action hasn’t exactly gone to plan.

Cejudo’s first fight back saw him challenge for the 135-pound throne against Aljamain Sterling. The 37-year-old fell on the wrong side of a narrow and widely debated split decision after five rounds.

After choosing against an immediate return to retirement, Cejudo moved to 0-2 since ending his time away from the cage at UFC 298 this past February, with Merab Dvalishvili getting the better of him across three rounds.

Still, the 2008 Olympic gold medalist remains motivated to reach a mountaintop on MMA’s biggest stage once again. Moving forward, however, he looks to be targeting a different peak…

Cejudo Keen On Flyweight Return: ‘None Of Those Dudes Can Hang With Me’

During a recent interview with MMA Junkie’s Nolan King, Cejudo provided an update on his current status, revealing that an injury is keeping him sidelined for the time being.

“Right now, dude, I’ve been icing an injury…for quite some time,” Cejudo said. “I want to make sure that I’m 100 percent on getting back into training. It’s just allowing this injury to freakin’ heal, dude. Father Time is real, dude, I can finally admit it. It’s just little nagging things. But this particular thing, I want to make sure I don’t have to get surgery.

“If I allow myself to be patient and take my time, allow my injury to recover, then I’m gonna be 100 percent,” Cejudo continued. “Could I fight? I could. But am I gonna do the same thing I did my last fight and fight with a torn groin? I’m not gonna do that no more. I think I’ve learned my lesson.”

And in terms of his comeback fight, Cejudo suggested that he’s seriously considering adjusting his sights from regaining the bantamweight crown to recapturing the flyweight title.

“Once I’m ready, there’s a lot of options, man. There could be a potential return at flyweight. These are a lot of things I’m contemplating,” Cejudo stated. “With the bantamweight division getting hot and me kind of coming in, there’s been a lot of talk of potentially me going back down, man. Getting a fight with (Brandon) Moreno and winning the belt once again.

“I’m gonna be making a commitment to go out there and just do another run, another run at these titles,” Cejudo added. “It’s gonna be a big sacrifice on all of our parts. … I’m committed to getting back to the ‘Triple C’ again. … None of those dudes (at flyweight) can hang with me.”

Cejudo previously teased another run at 125 pounds during last month’s UFC 304 pay-per-view event. While commenting on Muhammad Mokaev and Manel Kape’s rivalry and subsequent dud inside the cage, the Olympic gold medalist teased potentially ‘saving’ the division.

Cejudo went on to note in his conversation with King that should he decide on a flyweight return and get a green light from the UFC, he plans to complete the drop down in weight correctly, taking around six months.

With that in mind, fans can perhaps expect to be waiting a while before seeing the former ‘champ-champ’ back inside the Octagon.

Continue Reading Henry Cejudo Provides Update On UFC Return Timeline, Teases Major Career Change at MMA News.

Sean O’Malley calls for interim title fight at UFC 285 with Henry Cejudo: ‘Tell me that ain’t fire’

Sean O'Malley Henry Cejudo UFC 285UFC bantamweight contender, Sean O’Malley has called for his shot at bantamweight gold – albeit interim spoils, in the form of a title fight against the returning former two-weight champion, Henry Cejudo at UFC 285 on March 4.  Montana native, O’Malley currently boasts the #1 rank in the official UFC bantamweight pile, earning the division […]

Sean O'Malley Henry Cejudo UFC 285

UFC bantamweight contender, Sean O’Malley has called for his shot at bantamweight gold – albeit interim spoils, in the form of a title fight against the returning former two-weight champion, Henry Cejudo at UFC 285 on March 4. 

Montana native, O’Malley currently boasts the #1 rank in the official UFC bantamweight pile, earning the division top-spot with a close split decision win over former undisputed titleholder, Petr Yan at UFC 280 last October in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Yet to be booked in the time since, O’Malley, a product of Dana White’s Contender Series, claimed in the months following his ‘Fight Island’ judging win over Dudinka striker, Yan, how he had been “guaranteed” a title fight in his next Octagon outing, however.

Sean O’Malley offers to face Henry Cejudo for interim spoils at UFC 285

With undisputed champion, Aljamain Sterling recently revealing how a bicep injury may prevent him from making a planned fight with Olympic gold medalist, Cejudo as soon as March 4. – O’Malley has offered to fight for an interim division championship against the latter on the same date.

“Perfect: Me vs. Henry (Cejudo) for the interim belt (at UFC 285),” Sean O’Malley said on his YouTube channel. “Tell me that ain’t fire?”

“I texted Hunter (Campbell), texted Sean Shelby, I said, ‘Will you at least give me an idea? Will you at least say yes or no? Is Henry versus Aljo (Aljamain Sterling) happening?’” Sean O’Malley said. “They [the UFC] just don’t know… They’re kind of just trying to wait to see if (Sterling) can (make UFC 285) or what. I’m frustrated, but I’m OK, because I’m training.” 

In tandem with his offer to fight Los Angeles wrestling ace, Cejudo for an interim title – O’Malley offered to rematch Marlon Vera, before the Ecuadorian was booked to fight fellow contender, Cory Sandhagen next month.

O’Malley’s sole professional loss came in the form of a first round ground strikes TKO loss to Vera back in August 2020 in the co-main event of UFC 252.

Former UFC Champions Pick Out The Perfect Fight For Israel Adesanya After UFC 305 Loss: ‘I Like His Chances…’

Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman recently took on the role of matchmakers, speculating on Israel Adesanya’s next move following his defeat to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305. “The Last Stylebender” succumbed to a fourth-round submission loss against the reigning UFC middleweight champion in his quest to reclaim the title for a third time last […]

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Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman recently took on the role of matchmakers, speculating on Israel Adesanya’s next move following his defeat to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305.

“The Last Stylebender” succumbed to a fourth-round submission loss against the reigning UFC middleweight champion in his quest to reclaim the title for a third time last weekend at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

Although Adesanya showcased sharp striking and strong defensive wrestling in a highly competitive fight, Du Plessis turned the tide in the fourth round with a relentless barrage of punches that left the Nigerian-born Kiwi staggered. With great presence of mind, “Stillknocks” swiftly secured a takedown and moved in to seal the deal with a rear-naked choke.

Following the defeat, a fleeting moment in the Octagon hinted that Adesanya might be contemplating retirement. As he removed his gloves, fans held their breath, thinking he was about to make an announcement during his post-fight interview with UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier. However, it turned out that Adesanya’s gesture was merely a false alarm, with no real intention behind it.

Now, after suffering the first submission loss of his career and enduring back-to-back defeats, “The Last Stylebender” finds himself at a pivotal crossroads. To reclaim his place in the title picture, he’ll need to embark on a challenging climb back to the top.

Cejudo and Usman have pinpointed several middleweight contenders they believe would make compelling matchups for Adesanya’s next fight…

Cejudo and Usman Split On Adesanya’s Next Possible Opponent

During a recent episode of the Pound 4 Pound podcast, Cejudo and Usman weighed in on who might be the ideal next opponent for Adesanya. “Triple C” proposed that the former middleweight champion should square off against Paulo Costa in a rematch, viewing it as a quick path back to title contention. Cejudo believes this matchup could position Adesanya for a shot at the winner of the anticipated Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland title fight.

“If I’m Israel Adesanya, I’m looking to fight a troll in Paulo ‘Borrachinha’ too, you know, do a rematch with ‘Mr. Secret Juice’—a winnable fight for him,” Cejudo said. “Then he just waits, sees, and hopes that a guy like Sean Strickland wins, and then boom, he’s at the title once again.”

Usman, however, took a different stance, questioning why Adesanya would bother facing Costa again when he’s already bested him. “The Nigerian Nightmare” instead argued that instead of revisiting old ground, Izzy should set his sights on new challenges.

“Why would we go ‘Borrachinha’?” Usman said. “He’s lost to Israel Adesanya, lost to Sean Strickland, lost to Robert Whittaker. Why would we go to ‘Borrachinha’? Give him new blood, give him something that’s going to be intriguing. And there are intriguing fights right now. You’ve got the French dude [Nassourdine] Imavov—that is going to be a fantastic fight. You’ve got Khamzat Chimaev, which was the buildup for potentially that middleweight title picture when Israel was champion.

“Those are fantastic fights, those are huge, and those are amazing fights where I actually think you can’t say that’s not a good fight. Because we’ve had this debate before, and we both agree—what happens when Israel Adesanya gets back up from Khamzat Chimaev? What happens when he’s able to not get taken down, stand there, and start to sharpshoot? We’ve had that debate before, and I like his chances.”

While Adesanya maintains he’s far from done, he’s not setting a timeline for his next fight. With a 4-4 record in his last eight Octagon appearances, Izzy now faces the harsh reality of reassessing his path forward.

Continue Reading Former UFC Champions Pick Out The Perfect Fight For Israel Adesanya After UFC 305 Loss: ‘I Like His Chances…’ at MMA News.

Henry Cejudo Reveals Criticism Led To Verbal Altercation With Khamzat Chimaev: ‘Something Like This Could Really Hurt Khamzat…’

Being an analyst of the fight game means that you don’t always get to be positive about every fighter and that can come with some complications. Via their podcast together, Pound 4 Pound, former UFC champions Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman break down the biggest fights in combat sports. They both try to be honest […]

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Being an analyst of the fight game means that you don’t always get to be positive about every fighter and that can come with some complications.

Via their podcast together, Pound 4 Pound, former UFC champions Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman break down the biggest fights in combat sports.

They both try to be honest and that means hurting some feelings along the way if people end up hearing their criticisms.

Whilst some fighters may take a private dislike to others for the things they hear them say during pre or post-fight comments, there are others that have no problem making the analyst aware of this.

Cejudo returned from the Paris Olympics on the most recent episode where he told a story about being confronted by one of the most intimidating men on the UFC roster.

Henry Cejudo Describes Paris Confrontation With Khamzat Chimaev

After giving Usman several guesses at who had wanted to fight him in Paris by telling “The Nigerian Nightmare” that it was a wrestler that he has shared the Octagon with, Cejudo eventually revealed that it was Khamzat Chimaev who had a problem with him.

Cejudo said that whilst he never found out from the middleweight contender himself, he expects that Chimaev’s issue with him stems from comments he has made in the past about his ability as a fighter.

“Oh f***, I don’t know dude. I think these dudes take s*** so personable dude, I don’t know. I think obviously me cheering for you, me cheering for ‘Borrachinha’, me kind of telling the truth a little bit because I think as an analyst, people get a little, you have to tell the truth and I think that’s my biggest, I think that’s what, yeah I am comical and whatnot but typically when I do say certain things, it’s because I mean it.”

Cejudo then went on to explain what actually happened between them, which essentially boiled down to Chimaev scolding him from far away whilst being surrounded by an entourage.

“So that’s why I think but I was here, he was at the ticket line, I was outside trying to get my damn tickets because everything was sold out and I don’t even think he could get in either and then he sees me and he says like, ‘Henry Cejudo, you’re a rat piece of s***’. I kind of had a feeling this dude kind of had a, because he’s blocking from a lot of social media stuff. So then I’m just like, ‘Why? Why am I a piece of s***?’ And he said I’m just a piece of s***, like this is probably like 50-feet away like from each other.”

“Triple C” rounded out his thoughts on the matter by stating that Chimaev’s response to criticism could be an issue for him in his career progression based on the somewhat difficult position that he has found himself in as of late.

“I’m a troll 100% but to the level of trolling that I do, I’m a level of extreme even more so as a competitor. Something like this could really hurt Khamzat in the sense of him being truly emotional because how many fights has he pulled out of and how many fans and trolls you think are trolling him and how upset could you get? And the last thing you want to do is actually fight emotional.”

Read also: Dricus Du Plessis Reacts To Former Opponent Darren Till’s Advice For Israel Adesanya: ‘I Did Hit Him Hard…’

Continue Reading Henry Cejudo Reveals Criticism Led To Verbal Altercation With Khamzat Chimaev: ‘Something Like This Could Really Hurt Khamzat…’ at MMA News.

Aljamain Sterling Explains Why He Wouldn’t Be Against Interim Title Fight

UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling is still pondering whether or not he’ll be able to fight in March. Sterling hasn’t defended the bantamweight title since his win over TJ Dillashaw at UFC 280 last October. He was rumored to have a…

UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling is still pondering whether or not he’ll be able to fight in March. Sterling hasn’t defended the bantamweight title since his win over TJ Dillashaw at UFC 280 last October. He was rumored to have a fight against Henry Cejudo in the works for later this year, but the fight…

Continue Reading Aljamain Sterling Explains Why He Wouldn’t Be Against Interim Title Fight at MMA News.

Aljamain Sterling reveals bicep tear may prevent him from March UFC return against Henry Cejudo

Aljamain Sterling Bicep InjuryUndisputed UFC bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling has revealed a torn bicep injury may force him from a potential March return to the Octagon, as he finds himself continuously linked with a title fight defense against the returning, Henry Cejudo.  Sterling, the current undisputed bantamweight champion, co-headlined UFC 280 back in October of last year in […]

Aljamain Sterling Bicep Injury

Undisputed UFC bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling has revealed a torn bicep injury may force him from a potential March return to the Octagon, as he finds himself continuously linked with a title fight defense against the returning, Henry Cejudo. 

Sterling, the current undisputed bantamweight champion, co-headlined UFC 280 back in October of last year in Abu Dhabi, UAE against former two-time bantamweight best, T.J. Dillashaw, landing a second round ground strikes TKO triumph.

As for Cejudo, the former undisputed bantamweight and flyweight champion – and Olympic gold medalist to boot, retired from active competition back in May 2020 following a successful 135lbs title knockback against Dominick Cruz. 

Aljamain Sterling addresses bicep injury suffered ahead of potential March return

Expected to fight Cejudo as soon as March according to multiple reports as the promotion look to land the undisputed title fight on a UFC 285 card in Las Vegas, Nevada, Sterling revealed, however, how a bicep injury may rule him from such a quickfire return.

“It’s whether or not I can compete with this torn bicep again,” Aljamain Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “Going through another training camp with a torn bicep, against a guy (Henry Cejudo) who is stronger in the wrestling department, who will use his wrestling more. I’m going to need this bicep to compete at 100 percent.” (H/T The Underground)

“And I don’t take Henry Cejudo lightly,” Aljamain Sterling explained. “Is it realistic for me to fight in March? I don’t think it really is.” 

Initially winning the undisputed bantamweight crown back in 2021, Sterling would then successfully unify the titles in a rematch against Russian contender, Petr Yan, before handing the returning, Dillashaw a second round loss back in October of last year. 

With surging contender, Marlon Vera, and Cory Sandhagen slated to headline a UFC Vegas 69 card in February, as well as the current sitting of #1 ranked contender, Sean O’Malley – the bantamweight division has a host of contenders vying to compete for gold in Sterling’s expected absence.