Former UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili is prepared to showcase the grappling aspect of her repertoire after working with a wrestling great. Zhang will face another former UFC champion, Joanna J?drzejczyk in a featured bout on the UFC 275 main card this weekend. Both fighters are looking to earn another title shot in what’s been…
Former UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili is prepared to showcase the grappling aspect of her repertoire after working with a wrestling great.
Zhang will face another former UFC champion, Joanna J?drzejczyk in a featured bout on the UFC 275 main card this weekend. Both fighters are looking to earn another title shot in what’s been deemed by UFC President Dana White as a No. 1 contender bout.
Zhang showed off impressive wrestling in her last fight against Rose Namajunas at UFC 268, despite losing via a split decision. She’s been working with former UFC two-weight champion and former Olympic wrestler Henry Cejudo in preparation for her matchup with J?drzejczyk.
During her UFC 275 pre-fight media day, Zhang was asked if her wrestling training will impact the product of her upcoming performance.
“Definitely I will use some wrestling in this match,” Zhang said. “I learned a lot from Henry, and if I don’t use it, that would be a waste.”
Zhang has been training with Deiveson Figueiredo, Cejudo, and others at Fight Ready MMA in Arizona. While she’s been known for her impressive stand-up, her wrestling has made huge leaps and makes her a more dangerous puzzle to solve.
Zhang will look to earn the next strawweight title against the champion, Carla Esparza, with a victory. She’ll look to make Cejudo proud with her newfound wrestling skills being a major component of her performance.
Do you think Zhang Weili will give Joanna J?drzejczyk issues with her wrestling?
UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling may be on a collision course with Henry Cejudo for his next title defense. Sterling is pondering his options regarding his next bantamweight title defense. He most recently outlasted Petr Yan via a split decision at UFC 273 earlier this year. Former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw had been assumed to…
UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling may be on a collision course with Henry Cejudo for his next title defense.
Sterling is pondering his options regarding his next bantamweight title defense. He most recently outlasted Petr Yan via a split decision at UFC 273 earlier this year.
Former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw had been assumed to be the next man up, but Sterling also expressed interest in fights with Dominick Cruz and José Aldo during a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience.
One prominent name left out of Sterling’s brainstorming was Cejudo, who recently re-entered the USADA pool and appears set for a return to the Octagon later this year. After getting word of Sterling’s comments, Cejudo blasted the 135lb champion on social media.
Since I told this man what I would do to him on the sit down with @dc_mma he stopped bringing my name up. You a smart little hoe @funkmasterMMA relish and cherish my belt. Two of those so called legends lasted one round and the other two. @danawhitepic.twitter.com/UGQ8XFHpAq
“Since I told this man what I would do to him on the sit down with [Daniel Cormier] he stopped bringing my name up,” Cejudo said of Sterling. “You a smart little hoe [Aljamain Sterling] relish and cherish my belt. Two of those so-called legends lasted one round and the other two.”
Following Cejudo’s attacks, Sterling hit back at the former champion in a recent tweet.
Lol don’t get your speedos in a bunch cupcake. Ask the media why they didn’t add the parts of me accepting a fight with you too.
But then again, you’re not even in the players bracket “Mr. Timeout, I need a break!” https://t.co/GIN67PVuNz
“Lol don’t get your speedos in a bunch cupcake,” Sterling replied. “Ask the media why they didn’t add the parts of me accepting a fight with you. But then again, you’re not even in the players bracket “Mr. Timeout, I need a break!”
Cejudo retired from the UFC following a win over Cruz at UFC 249. He has since hinted at a UFC comeback and a potential move to featherweight to challenge Alexander Volkanovski.
Dillashaw seems to be the most logical option for the next title shot against Sterling, but Cejudo seems open to a move back to his divisional stomping grounds for an opportunity to become a three-time UFC champion.
Do you want to see Aljamain Sterling face Henry Cejudo next?
Former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo believes there is only one path to defeating GOAT contender Jon Jones inside the Octagon. Jones, a former two-time light heavyweight king, has been out of action since a successful title defense against Dominick Reyes in 2020. Having vacated the gold soon after, “Bones” announced his intention to transition…
Former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo believes there is only one path to defeating GOAT contender Jon Jones inside the Octagon.
Jones, a former two-time light heavyweight king, has been out of action since a successful title defense against Dominick Reyes in 2020. Having vacated the gold soon after, “Bones” announced his intention to transition to heavyweight and pursue a second championship belt.
We’re now two years on and fans are still none the wiser about when Jones will enter the cage in his new weight class. Despite multiple training posts and positive updates on his bulk to a heavyweight physique, a combination of pay disputes with the UFC and legal troubles owing to another arrest saw Jones sit out the entirety of 2021.
While many have identified the new breed of heavyweights, fast and technical individuals like Ciryl Gane and Tom Aspinall, as fighters who can stall Jones’ ambitions, Cejudo only sees one way to halt the charge of “Bones,” and it’s not technique.
Cejudo: You Can Only Defeat Jones With Power
During an appearance on The Schmozone podcast, Cejudo assessed Jones’ chances at heavyweight. After agreeing that an interim title bout with the consensus divisional GOAT Stipe Miocic could serve as Jones’ welcome to the weight, the former flyweight and bantamweight kingpin doubted the 39-year-old’s ability to finish Jones.
“I think Jon Jones could fight another 10 fights man, and retire undefeated,” said Cejudo. “I really do… That’s the fight that’s gonna happen (Jones vs. Miocic). That’s where you’re gonna be able to really see the creativity of Jon. If you really think about it, Stipe doesn’t really have that — yeah, he knocked out (Fabricio) Werdum, but Werdum kind of walked into that punch, but I don’t see Stipe with like, crazy knockout power. I think Stipe’s greatest gift is his endurance.”
While some would reject the idea that a lack of KO power would be an issue for Miocic, Cejudo identified fight-ending shots as the only way in which Jones can be beaten inside the Octagon in his current form.
“The way you beat a guy like Jon Jones, you’re gonna have to beat him with power. You’re gonna have to take risk, and that’s gonna be with power,” claimed Cejudo. “This is why Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones is a very dynamite fight, because you have technician… Jon Jones knows how to win. The only person that could really counter that is a guy that take risks, omeone who can throw out the kitchen sink.
“That’s the only way to beat Jon Jones. You won’t beat him with attack, counter-attack, anticipation. You’re not a better competitor than him. He’s the best competitor right now in the UFC, pound-for-pound, in any division.”
With Ngannou spending several more months in the recovery room following knee surgery, it appears that, judging from Cejudo’s take, Jones’ toughest test is unavailable. If a clash with Miocic does come to fruition instead, the Ohio native will be looking to prove that narrative wrong by spoiling Jones’ heavyweight plans.
The greatest heavyweight of all time versus the greatest light heavyweight, who wants to see it? I’m game
Henry Cejudo has responded to Dominick Cruz and Marlon Vera’s recent performance enhancing drug (PED) accusations against him. Cejudo took to his podcast, “Triple C & Schmo Show,” to respond to the recent comments made by Cruz and Vera. Cruz suggested Cejudo could be using PEDs during a recent interview on The MMA Hour. Vera…
Henry Cejudo has responded to Dominick Cruz and Marlon Vera’s recent performance enhancing drug (PED) accusations against him.
Cejudo took to his podcast, “Triple C & Schmo Show,” to respond to the recent comments made by Cruz and Vera. Cruz suggested Cejudo could be using PEDs during a recent interview on The MMA Hour. Vera did the same while being interviewed by Schmo himself.
“Triple C” said he finds the accusations funny, especially since he’s been tested by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) since he was a teenager.
“It’s funny to me. I don’t even get offended by this. It’s funny to me. … Come on, man! I’ve been tested by USADA [United States Anti-Doping Agency] for the last… since I was a 17-year-old kid.
“I’m almost 20 years in the d*mn business, man. Like, you know what I’m saying? That’s stupid. Dominick ‘Snooze’, this is how Floyd Mayweather sued Manny Pacquiao for defamation of character.
“So you and that ugly a** ‘Chito’ Vera [should] be careful with what you guys say.”
Cejudo also took to Twitter for a follow-up comment on the accusations, saying he finds them flattering.
Cejudo officially retired from mixed martial arts (MMA) in May of 2020 after defeating Cruz to retain his bantamweight championship. He finished Cruz in the second round via knockout. Now, however, Cejudo seems to be contemplating a return to action.
Currently, the division is run by Aljamain Sterling, who unified his title with interim champion Petr Yan earlier this month with a split decision win.
Should Cejudo continue to be tested by USADA successfully in the next few months, a return to the title picture could very well be a possibility.
What do you make of Henry Cejudo being accused of PED use by Cruz and Vera? Sound off in the comments section below!
Henry Cejudo is pulling back the curtains from the “Triple C” persona that he adopted for himself after becoming a two-division UFC champion. It’s often been said that the UFC is not just about the sport of combat. It’s also a business and thus has always prioritized entertainment. One man who has exemplified that reality…
Henry Cejudo is pulling back the curtains from the “Triple C” persona that he adopted for himself after becoming a two-division UFC champion.
It’s often been said that the UFC is not just about the sport of combat. It’s also a business and thus has always prioritized entertainment.
One man who has exemplified that reality is former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo.
Henry Cejudo (Photo: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa)
There are other fighters like Colby Covington who have been accused of playing a character for the sake of promoting their brand, but “Chaos” has always maintained that what you see is what you get and that his brash personality is his authentic self just cranked up to its maximum voltage.
During a face-to-face interview with Aljamain Sterling hosted by Daniel Cormier (DC), Cejudo was willing to do what Covington and professional wrestlers of the kayfabe era have historically refrained from doing: open up on the ‘character’ that he plays.
“Even that whole ‘Cringe’ persona that I kinda pursued, that is me. I just turned the volume up,” Cejudo said in a statement that mirrors some of Covington’s previous rhetoric. Cejudo would go on to elaborate on the rationale behind the persona.
“It’s an annoying character that like, ‘Man, shut the fuck up!’ But at the same time, you can’t deny what he’s done…
“Even me pulling out the pillows, DC, fuckin’ whippin’ that snake, I need pressure, DC. If I don’t feel pressure in whatever sense, it’s hard for me to really get up, you know what I mean? I gotta add that extra thing.”
The pressure for Cejudo will potentially be at its boiling point when he makes his expected return to the Octagon as soon as this year. If all goes according to plan, his comeback tour will begin with the man who was sitting directly across from him as he uttered the above comments: Aljamain “FunkMaster” Sterling!
Claressa Shields will have some big time help in her preparation for her return to mixed martial arts (MMA). Shields recently spoke with Mirror Fighting and discussed her eventual return to MMA competition. The boxing star said she’s looking to improve her ground game, and is gearing up to travel to Phoenix, Arizona to work…
Claressa Shields will have some big time help in her preparation for her return to mixed martial arts (MMA).
Shields recently spoke with Mirror Fighting and discussed her eventual return to MMA competition.
The boxing star said she’s looking to improve her ground game, and is gearing up to travel to Phoenix, Arizona to work on it with former dual-weight UFC champion, and Olympic gold medalist, Henry Cejudo.
“I am going to go to train with Henry Cejudo in Arizona and spend some time there,” Shields said. “I’ll get him to improve my wrestling and jiu-jitsu skills.
“Just becoming a better MMA fighter, there are a few things I want to sharpen up on. Somebody asked me ‘if you had to create the perfect fighter, who would you create?’
“Of course, I’d keep myself, but I would add Cejudo, Kamaru Usman, Jon Jones and Holly Holm. All of them have good attributes, but Cejudo is great.
Henry Cejudo
“He’s a two-weight UFC champion and Olympic champion in wrestling. He mastered MMA so who better to work with than him?”
Shields is currently undefeated in her boxing career with a record of 12-0. She holds the WBF, WBA, WBC, IBF, and The Ring female middleweight titles. Shields made her MMA debut in June of last year, defeating Brittney Elkin via third-round TKO under the Professional Fighters League (PFL) banner.
In her most recent bout, Shields was bested by opponent Abigail Montes this past October via split decision. She’s looking to bounce back from her first defeat with a big performance.
Improving her ground game with the likes of a grappling maestro the caliber of Cejudo should certainly help.
What do you think about Claressa Shields working with Henry Cejudo ahead of her MMA return? Let us know in the comments!
