Henry Cejudo recently voiced his dissatisfaction with the UFC’s ongoing support of Tony Ferguson, suggesting that the promotion should now shift its focus to new contenders and fresh talent. Ferguson is gearing up for what could be the final chapter in his Octagon career. He is set to face off against Michael Chiesa in a […]
Henry Cejudo recently voiced his dissatisfaction with the UFC’s ongoing support of Tony Ferguson, suggesting that the promotion should now shift its focus to new contenders and fresh talent.
Ferguson is gearing up for what could be the final chapter in his Octagon career. He is set to face off against Michael Chiesa in a welterweight clash on the main card of UFC Fight Night Abu Dhabi, scheduled for this weekend at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island, United Arab Emirates.
Once hailed as the most intimidating fighter in the UFC lightweight division, “El Cucuy” surged through a 12-fight unbeaten streak, securing the interim championship with a victory over Kevin Lee at UFC 216 in October 2017 during that remarkable run.
However, the 40-year-old Californian’s ascent took a sharp downturn following a tough defeat to Justin Gaethje at UFC 249 in May 2020, which decisively shattered his unbeaten run. Currently, Ferguson is mired in a string of setbacks, tying the promotion’s record for the longest losing streak with seven consecutive losses. “Triple C” believes it’s time for the UFC to part ways with Ferguson…
Cejudo Claims Ferguson Is Long Past His Competitive Best
During a recent episode of Pound 4 Pound with former champ Kamaru Usman, Cejudo weighed in on the upcoming fight between Ferguson and Chiesa. The former UFC two-division champion argued that, given “El Cucuy’s” string of defeats, the UFC should offer other fighters a chance to shine on the main card and consider releasing the veteran lightweight.
“I don’t like it personally; I’m surprised,” Cejudo said. “I think you’ve got to give other people opportunities to be on main cards too. Tony has had his last, what, seven fights or six fights or something crazy in a row. I’m just like, man, he’s not the same Tony who fought Kevin Lee before that. But he’s not the same guy, man.”
“Triple C” further noted that Chiesa might pose a challenging matchup for Ferguson, given that “Maverick” is larger and enters the fight with fresher legs.
“I think Tony’s on his way out. I think if the UFC wants to give him a better fight, they should match him with someone whose style suits him a bit more. I think Chiesa is just stronger, especially moving up a weight class. I feel like Chiesa is bigger, stronger, and hasn’t endured the same level of punishment as Tony. He’s never been knocked out like Tony, and yeah, I do feel like this is a bad match.”
Even UFC CEO Dana White has openly expressed a desire for Ferguson to retire, yet the veteran believes he can reignite his career with a move back to the welterweight division.
Alex Pereira’s recent successful defence of his light heavyweight title at UFC 303 has added the Brazilian’s name to the ever-growing list of fighters who have successfully changed weight divisions within the UFC. Today we take a look at some of the most notable examples (along with a few that didn’t fare quite as well). […]
Alex Pereira’s recent successful defence of his light heavyweight title at UFC 303 has added the Brazilian’s name to the ever-growing list of fighters who have successfully changed weight divisions within the UFC. Today we take a look at some of the most notable examples (along with a few that didn’t fare quite as well).
CONOR McGREGOR
The original ‘champ champ’. The first man to simultaneously hold championship belts in two different weight divisions. “The Notorious” signed with the UFC back in 2013 having won both the featherweight and lightweight titles in Cage Warriors and within two-and-a-half years he knocked out Jose Aldo to claim the 145lb belt.
Image: Conor McGregor IG
Less than a year later, he put on perhaps the best display of his career when he beat Eddie Alvarez at the iconic Madison Square Garden to claim the 155lb strap. He has also competed in the welterweight division, fighting Nate Diaz twice and Donald Cerrone. His recent (now postponed) comeback bout against Michael Chandler had been set to take place over five rounds at 170lbs.
DANIEL CORMIER
“DC” enjoyed huge success fighting as a heavyweight prior to signing with the UFC in 2013. He beat Antonio “Big Foot” Silva and Josh Barnett to win the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix in 2012 and began his UFC career with wins over former heavyweight champion Frank Mir and Roy Nelson, before making the decision to move down to 205lbs as his team-mate Cain Velazquez was the heavyweight champion at the time.
Cormier submitted Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in 2015 to claim the vacant light heavyweight title, and three years later he made the decision to move up and challenge then-champion Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight title. He shocked the world by knocking out Miocic in the first round, although the Cleveland-born firefighter gained his revenge by beating Cormier twice in 2019/2020, retiring him from the sport.
Image: Robert Whittaker Instagram
ROBERT WHITTAKER
“Bobby Knuckles” signed with the UFC back in 2012 off the back of some impressive performances on The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes and had mixed results during his time competing in the welterweight division. He won three of his first five fights, but losses to Court McGee and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson convinced Whittaker to test the waters at 185lbs.
What followed was an eight-fight winning streak, wins over the likes of Yoel Romero and “Jacare” Souza and the UFC middleweight title. Whittaker lost the belt to Israel Adesanya in 2022 but is still riding high at 185lbs and finds himself in the title picture once again after his recent knockout victory over Ikram Aliskerov.
HENRY CEJUDO
The 2008 Olympic gold medallist won his first four fights inside the Octagon to earn a shot at then-UFC flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson back in 2016. Although Cejudo was knocked out in the first round, he soon worked his way back into title contention with some impressive victories over Wilson Reis and Sergio Pettis.
The rematch was a much closer affair, and “Triple C” ended Johnson’s record-breaking title reign and emerged victorious by way of a contentious split decision. A year later he moved up to 135lbs to challenge Marlon Moraes for the vacant UFC bantamweight title. He finished Moraes and then beat former champion Dominick Cruz in his first title defence in 2020, before relinquishing his belt and announcing his retirement, in what seemed like a power play due to contract issues with the UFC.
3 Fighters Who Moved Down A Weight Division…With Disastrous Results!
T.J. DILLASHAW
T.J. Dillashaw enjoyed two separate runs as UFC bantamweight champion. He shocked the MMA world when he destroyed Renan Barao at UFC 173 to capture the 135lb belt. After losing the title to Dominck Cruz two years later, he regrouped and beat Raphael Assuncao and John Lineker to earn another shot at gold.
He knocked out former team-mate Cody Garbrandt (who had won the belt from Cruz a year earlier), and after finishing “No Love” again in a rematch, made the decision to cut to 125lbs to challenge Henry Cejudo for the flyweight title.
The decision proved disastrous. Dillashaw was knocked out after just 32 seconds, and a couple of months later it was announced he had been suspended for two years by USADA due to testing positive for EPO in the lead-up to the Cejudo fight.
He returned after his suspension ended and beat Cory Sandhagen to earn another shot at the 135lb belt but went into the fight against Aljamain Sterling carrying a serious shoulder injury and was finished easily. He has since walked away from the sport.
CODY GARBRANDT
Cody Garbrandt came into that first bantamweight title fight with T.J. Dillashaw unbeaten at 10-0 and riding high off the back of a career-best performance against Dominick Cruz. The two losses he suffered at the hands of Dillashaw seemed to affect him badly. He was also knocked out by Pedro Munhoz in his next fight, and although he would claim a highlight reel finish over Raphael Assuncao in 2020, a defeat to Rob Font soon afterwards convinced him a change was needed.
Image: Cody Garbrandt Instagram
With no discernible path back into the bantamweight picture, “No Love” decided to make the cut to 125lbs for a fight against Australian flyweight contender Kai Kara-France at UFC 269. Another first-round knockout defeat followed, and Garbrandt stepped away from the spotlight for a much-needed break.
His return to the bantamweight division has been a little less calamitous. Wins over Trevin Jones and Brian Kelleher, followed by a submission loss to Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 300 have hinted that perhaps his future lies slightly outside of the title picture for now, but most definitely should be at 135lbs.
DAN HOOKER
“The Hangman” picked up a string of impressive wins in the UFC’s lightweight division between 2017 and 2021, beating the likes of Paul Felder, Al Iaquinta, Gilbert Burns and Jim Miller. His record at 155lbs during that five-year spell sits at 8 wins and 4 defeats, but losses against the biggest names in the division such as Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier and Islam Makhachev convinced the Australian to think about a move down to 145lbs.
Image: UFC.com
His featherweight debut against Arnold Allen in London, England ended disastrously. At 6 feet tall, Hooker looked frail and weakened at 145lbs, and Allen destroyed him in little over two minutes. Hooker has since returned to the lightweight division and reeled off victories over Claudio Puelles and Jalin Turner.
One thing we know for certain: finding the right weight class is of paramount importance for a fighter. It can be the defining factor between a promising career and a championship legacy in the highly demanding world of the UFC.
Henry Cejudo is still not sold on Alex Pereira’s prowess, even after the reigning UFC light heavyweight champion showcased an exceptional performance at UFC 303. “Poatan” retained his title, most recently securing an impressive second-round head kick knockout of his former foe, Jiri Prochazka, during the main event of the UFC’s last pay-per-view on June […]
Henry Cejudo is still not sold on Alex Pereira’s prowess, even after the reigning UFC light heavyweight champion showcased an exceptional performance at UFC 303.
“Poatan” retained his title, most recently securing an impressive second-round head kick knockout of his former foe, Jiri Prochazka, during the main event of the UFC’s last pay-per-view on June 29.
Pereira, in just nine Octagon appearances, has established an unparalleled legacy. He has become only the ninth fighter in UFC history to hold championships in two divisions. Even more impressive, he is the first to capture titles in both the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions, accomplishing this remarkable feat in just two years.
The 37-year-old Brazilian has made an indelible mark on the MMA community, with many considering him among the greatest fighters in UFC history. However, former two-division champion Cejudo remains skeptical of Pereira’s accomplishments…
Cejudo Argues Pereira Needs To Do More To Be Deemed The Best
During a recent episode of Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru Usman, the two former UFC champions explored Pereira’s meteoric rise in the MMA world. “Triple C” emphatically insisted that the Brazilian striking phenom still has more to prove against more well-rounded opponents before he can be crowned among the greatest.
“We have to see him go up against are a little more well-rounded, Cejudo said. “I don’t take things personal. I think, to me, it’s even more cool to create a character because whether you’re right or wrong, people are going to talk sh*t, or people are going to do X, Y, and Z, but these are keyboard wars. Even if Pereira does get a bit butthurt, man, take it to heart.”
“Does he have beautiful striking? 100%. I want to see more. I wanna see him to see him against guys against a real mixed martial artists, and then we can gauge it whether he is maybe even so pound-for-pound.”
Following his win over Jorge Masvidal in boxing this past weekend, Nate Diaz expressed interest in avenging a previous loss of his. Diaz is keen to run it back with the current UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards, despite no longer being signed to the promotion. He faced “Rocky” back at UFC 263 in his second […]
During a recent podcast, former UFC champions Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman disagreed on whether this rematch taking place is a possibility.
Henry Cejudo & Kamaru Usman Debate Nate Diaz Walking Straight Into A UFC Title Shot
Cejudo believes that given the name value and attention that Diaz brings to the table, he could potentially step back into a title shot. He said on the Pound 4 Pound podcast that a rematch with Edwards could potentially happen if both sides wanted it.
“He called out Leon Edwards for the strap at 170-pounds, you don’t think Dana would give it to him? You don’t think Dana would give him that fight? Remember dude, the UFC is an entertainment company and if he’s able to bring those pay-per-view numbers and especially if a guy like Leon Edwards calls for the fight, he could potentially get it.”
Usman, interrupted his podcast co-host, passionately disagreeing with Cejudo on the options that are currently available to Diaz.
He used Cejudo’s own career as an example of why the Stockton fighter wouldn’t be able to jump right back in at the top in the UFC, despite his profile.
“Let’s get serious here Henry, what?! You think, ‘Oh yes I want to fight Leon Edwards’ and he just jumps in and he gets a title shot? Are you serious? Come on Henry. Henry you were two-division champion and you came back and you fought Merab so basically, you had to earn the shot at Sean O’Malley. So you’re saying that he should just definitely come in and get it just because he has numbers?”
Usman also countered the point made by Cejudo regarding the narrative of the fight between Edwards and Diaz that went down in 2021.
Despite dominating the fight, the Brit had to face some adversity in the final moments of the contest after being caught clean by his opponent.
Usman does not believe that this one aspect is enough for a rematch to make sense between them at this stage in both men’s careers.
“He landed it, it was an incredible punch but that does not warrant him all because of that. He had one moment in the fight, we’re going to give him a title shot just because… get serious bro!”
The last man to defeat Alex Pereira in the kickboxing ring has been quietly going about the process of gaining experience in the world of professional MMA. Artem Vakhitov held the Glory Kickboxing light heavyweight world title between 2016 and 2019, before losing it by split decision to “Poatan” in January of 2021. He reclaimed […]
The last man to defeat Alex Pereira in the kickboxing ring has been quietly going about the process of gaining experience in the world of professional MMA.
Artem Vakhitov held the Glory Kickboxing light heavyweight world title between 2016 and 2019, before losing it by split decision to “Poatan” in January of 2021. He reclaimed the belt by winning an immediate rematch against the Brazilian later that year, before Pereira moved on to the UFC.
With a kickboxing record of 23-6 and five Glory title defences to his name, Vakhitov is certainly one of the most decorated and dangerous strikers in the world today. His professional MMA debut against Ashraf Bashandy in June of last year didn’t quite go to plan when an unfortunate landing barely a minute into the bout resulted in a dislocated elbow and a TKO loss for the Russian.
Vakhitov has rebounded this year in impressive fashion however, by picking up first-round stoppage victories over Siyavush Salkhov and Valisher Khambaev. Following on from a short but impressive amateur career in which he picked up a multitude of submission wins, it certainly seems the Russian is a fighter to keep an eye on.
Former Glory Champion Who Beat Pereira Links Up With ‘Triple C’
In an interesting development, it has emerged this week that Vakhitov has teamed up with a new coach in order to develop his skills in MMA.
Former UFC two-weight world champion Henry Cejudo posted a video of himself and Vakhitov to social media from the stands at UFC 303 this past weekend, during which he seemed to drop hints that the pair may have Alex Pereira in their sights.
“So guys…allow me to introduce you guys to who’s training with the ‘Triple C’ next” said Cejudo. “I train the best in the world but guess what? Now I got the six-time Glory world champ, the last guy to defeat Alex Pereira, and we have a message for you!”
The former Olympic gold medallist turned his phone to show Vakhitov, and the Russian simply replied “Chama.” ‘Triple C’ ended the message with, “We comin’”.
Izzy was the last guy to beat Alex, but this union is interesting. Artem Vakhitov is extremely skilled from both stances. He has exceptional vision, quick reaction to openings, and offensive diversity. He can excel in MMA no doubt about it. pic.twitter.com/14X4QkEdI2
The last man to defeat Alex Pereira in the kickboxing ring has been quietly going about the process of gaining experience in the world of professional MMA. Artem Vakhitov held the Glory Kickboxing light heavyweight world title between 2016 and 2019, before losing it by split decision to “Poatan” in January of 2021. He reclaimed […]
The last man to defeat Alex Pereira in the kickboxing ring has been quietly going about the process of gaining experience in the world of professional MMA.
Artem Vakhitov held the Glory Kickboxing light heavyweight world title between 2016 and 2019, before losing it by split decision to “Poatan” in January of 2021. He reclaimed the belt by winning an immediate rematch against the Brazilian later that year, before Pereira moved on to the UFC.
With a kickboxing record of 23-6 and five Glory title defences to his name, Vakhitov is certainly one of the most decorated and dangerous strikers in the world today. His professional MMA debut against Ashraf Bashandy in June of last year didn’t quite go to plan when an unfortunate landing barely a minute into the bout resulted in a dislocated elbow and a TKO loss for the Russian.
Vakhitov has rebounded this year in impressive fashion however, by picking up first-round stoppage victories over Siyavush Salkhov and Valisher Khambaev. Following on from a short but impressive amateur career in which he picked up a multitude of submission wins, it certainly seems the Russian is a fighter to keep an eye on.
Former Glory Champion Who Beat Pereira Links Up With ‘Triple C’
In an interesting development, it has emerged this week that Vakhitov has teamed up with a new coach in order to develop his skills in MMA.
Former UFC two-weight world champion Henry Cejudo posted a video of himself and Vakhitov to social media from the stands at UFC 303 this past weekend, during which he seemed to drop hints that the pair may have Alex Pereira in their sights.
“So guys…allow me to introduce you guys to who’s training with the ‘Triple C’ next” said Cejudo. “I train the best in the world but guess what? Now I got the six-time Glory world champ, the last guy to defeat Alex Pereira, and we have a message for you!”
The former Olympic gold medallist turned his phone to show Vakhitov, and the Russian simply replied “Chama.” ‘Triple C’ ended the message with, “We comin’”.
Izzy was the last guy to beat Alex, but this union is interesting. Artem Vakhitov is extremely skilled from both stances. He has exceptional vision, quick reaction to openings, and offensive diversity. He can excel in MMA no doubt about it. pic.twitter.com/14X4QkEdI2
