Tag: Henry Cejudo

Henry Cejudo rips Sean Strickland for emotional outburst amid UFC 296 brawl: ‘He’s somewhat of a crybaby’

Henry Cejudo rips Sean Strickland for emotional outburst after UFC 296 he's a crybabyFormer two-division Octagon gold holder, Henry Cejudo has labelled undisputed middleweight kingpin, Sean Strickland a “crybaby” – in reaction…

Henry Cejudo rips Sean Strickland for emotional outburst after UFC 296 he's a crybaby

Former two-division Octagon gold holder, Henry Cejudo has labelled undisputed middleweight kingpin, Sean Strickland a “crybaby” – in reaction to the latter’s emotional outburst and melee with incoming title challenger and foe, Dricus du Plessis in the crowd at UFC 296 last weekend.

Cejudo, a former undisputed flyweight champion and bantamweight gold under the banner of the promotion, as well as an Olympic gold medalist, made his return from a three-year retirement back in May.

Challenging for divisional spoils, Los Angeles-born contender, Cejudo suffered a close, split decision loss to former champion, Aljamain Sterling in the pair’s title affair.

Booked to make his return to the Octagon at UFC 298 in Anaheim, California, taking on surging bantamweight challenger, Merab Dvalishvili in a potential championship eliminator.

Henry Cejudo labels Sean Strickland a “crybaby”

And sharing his thoughts on Strickland’s brawl on fighter row with du Plessis ahead of the pair’s UFC 297 title showdown in Canada, Cejudo donned Strickland a “crybaby” for his emotional outburst.

“[Sean Strickland] likes to talk about other people, he likes to talk about other people’s wives,” Henry Cejudo said on his YouTube channel. “But when somebody brings up something about his past and with his dad, all of a sudden he’s crying. So, as cool as Sean Strickland could be – and the funny things that he could be, he’s also somewhat of a crybaby.”

“I was a fan, but the fact now that he’s really bringing it to the fists – like fighting outside of an actual Octagon – let’s me know that hte dude is just frickin’ emotional…” Henry Cejudo explained. “And now when they say something about you when you were a kid, and all this other sh*t, now you get p*ssed off and you’re the first one throwing blows. You know what that is? That’s a b*tch move.” 

Report – Ex-Champion Henry Cejudo set to fight Merab Dvalishvili in clash at UFC 298 in Anaheim

Henry Cejudo set to fight Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 298 in February in AnaheimFormer undisputed flyweight and bantamweight champion, Henry Cejudo is set for his return to the Octagon at a UFC…

Henry Cejudo set to fight Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 298 in February in Anaheim

Former undisputed flyweight and bantamweight champion, Henry Cejudo is set for his return to the Octagon at a UFC 298 pay-per-view card on February 17. from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California – taking on surging Georgian contender, Merab Dvalishvili in a potential title-elimonator.

Cejudo, the current number three ranked bantamweight contender, snapped his three-year retirement from mixed martial arts back in August against Dvalishvili’s training partner and then-champion, Aljamain Sterling – suffering a split decision loss to the Uniondale native in the pair’s championship clash.

Henry Cejudo confirms Merab Dvalishvili fight at UFC 298

And as for Tbilisi native, Dvalishvili, the streaking contender currently holds the number two rank in the division, landing a one-sided unanimous decision win over former champion, Petr Yan in the pair’s main event clash at UFC Las Vegas back in March. Olympic gold medal winner, Henry Cejudo confirmed the pairing between himself and Merab Dvalishvili on his official YouTube channel.

16-3 as a professional, Los Angeles-born veteran, Cejudo had landed a successful bantamweight title defense against former two-time divisional champion, Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 back in 2020 – stopping the ex-titleholder with a series of late strikes, before stunningly calling time on his illustrious professional career.

As for Dvalishvili, the 16-4 contender added Russian former champion, Yan to an undefeated streak spanning nine fights with his unanimous decision shutout win back in March of this year.

UFC 298 takes place on February 17. from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, with an undisputed featherweight title fight between champion, Alexander Volkanovski, and challenger, Ilia Topuria set to take main event honors.

Who wins at UFC 298 in Anaheim: Henry Cejudo or Merab Dvalishvili?

jiri prochazka warned of poor striking defence ahead of UFC 295: ‘that may cost you against Alex Pereira’

Jiri Prochazka warned poor striking defense cost him against Alex Pereira at UFC 295Henry Cejudo warns Jiri Prochazka about his striking defence heading into his bout against Alex Pereira. On November 11,…

Jiri Prochazka warned poor striking defense cost him against Alex Pereira at UFC 295

Henry Cejudo warns Jiri Prochazka about his striking defence heading into his bout against Alex Pereira.

On November 11, two of the UFC’s most devastating strikers are set to do battle for the vacant light-heavyweight title. After successfully defeating Jan Blachowicz in his first fight at the 205lb limit, Pereira was immediately slotted in to be one half of the fight for Jamahal Hill’s recently vacated title.

Having never actually lost his title, vacating his title after suffering a shoulder injury, it was only right that Prochazka was granted shot upon his return.

Throughout their UFC careers the pair have produced brutal finishes, and have been apart of exciting contests. Pereira is the more schooled of the two having won titles in two divisions as a glory kickboxer. The Brazilian also poses elite power, having numerous highlight reel knockouts to his name.

Prochazka brings a unconventional approach to striking, taking inspiration from more traditional martial arts. The 31-year-old is very unpredictable and too holds serious power – Prochazka is a real threat and is willing to battle through adversity to earn victory.

Henry Cejudo critical of Jiri Prochazka’s defence

Prochazka is a proven finisher, but is also no stranger to being dropped and hurt in his contests.

Discussing the matchup, Henry Cejudo feels that this could not be a good sign when heading into a fight with someone like Pereira, claiming that the ‘hittable’ Prochazka could

“The technique, as good as you are with everything, there’s one area where I feel like you really need to get better at — two areas,” Cejudo said. (transcribed by Farah Hannoun). “Your defence, with your hands: I don’t like seeing you get hit because that may cost you against a guy like Alex Pereira. Then the other thing, too, is your takedown defence. Your takedown defence is still a little suspect.” (H/T MMA Mania)

Along with winning titles in the UFC, Cejudo also spends a lot of time working on his YouTube channel where he will post technique and fight breakdowns.

Henry Cejudo breaks down Jiri Prochazka’s game

Do you agree with Henry Cejudo’s take on Jiri Prochazka?

Ex-UFC Champ Urges Alexander Volkanovski to Take Some Time off and Heal: ‘He’s not the same guy’

Alexander VolkanovskiFormer two-division champion Henry Cejudo believes Alexander Volkanovski may have unintentionally exposed himself following his devastating loss to Islam…

Alexander Volkanovski

Former two-division champion Henry Cejudo believes Alexander Volkanovski may have unintentionally exposed himself following his devastating loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 294.

After narrowly dethroning the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ in their February Fight of the Year contender, Volkanovski accepted a rematch on just 11 days’ notice, stepping in for Makhachev’s originally scheduled UFC 294 opponent, Charles Oliveira. Despite the short-notice nature of the matchup, ‘The Great’ went into the bout with the utmost confidence.

Tragically, Volkanovski would come crashing back down to reality just three minutes into the contest when Islam Makhachev landed a perfectly timed head kick that spelled the end of Volkanovski’s dreams to become a dual-world champion.

Following the event, an emotional Alexander Volkanovski revealed his “struggle” to remain active inside the Octagon, even in the most unfavorable of situations.

“I put myself in his position,” Cejudo said on his YouTube channel. “I think the biggest mistake that Alexander could do is share a lot of who he is as a person to the people. Why do I say that? ‘I’m going through anxieties, I need to stay busy guys, I go crazy if I don’t stay busy or if I don’t fight.’ If I’m a competitor and I’m seeing all that, especially seeing him get knocked out, you know what I’m gonna be doing? I’m gonna be picking at him.”

“If I’m Ilia [Topuria], if I know that he’s concussed, and I know that he goes crazy when he’s not fighting or he’s at home or he goes through anxiety. If I’m Ilia Topuria, you guys know what I’m thinking? I’m thinking about calling this dude out and getting him to step up still on January 20th to have a better chance of actually beating him. You see, there’s times when you’ve gotta keep things to yourself. When you don’t keep things to yourself, you start to expose yourself” (h/t MMA Mania).

Henry Cejudo Urges Volkanovski to take him time

Despite the setback in Abu Dhabi, Volkanovski remains in talks to defend his featherweight title against No. 5 ranked contender Ilia Topuria at UFC 297 on January 20 in Toronto. That would give ‘The Great’ less than three months to prepare for what could very well be the toughest test of his reign as the 145-pound champion.

“If I’m Ilia Topuria on the flip side, you know what I’m thinking? I have to pick a fight with him,” Cejudo continued. “I have to get him to fight me on January 20th because the simple fact that he’s concussed. He’s concussed, it’s not the same Alexander Volkanovski that was out here finishing all these opponents … he’s not the same guy.

“If I’m Alexander Volkanovski on the flip side, you know what I’m doing? I gotta humble myself,” Cejudo said. “I gotta allow my brain to heal for the next six months. I’ve been concussed. Being concussed or going through a knockout, it takes you a minute for you to really kind of start walking that straight line. So there’s two sides. Volk, take your damn time. I wouldn’t necessarily be in a rush. You’re gonna have to humble yourself. Yeah, I’m saying humble yourself because it shouldn’t be about ego or pride. It should be about winning.”

The UFC is expected to make an announcement regarding UFC 297 in the coming weeks.

Ex-UFC Champ Urges Alexander Volkanovski to Take Some Time off and Heal: ‘He’s not the same guy’

Alexander VolkanovskiFormer two-division champion Henry Cejudo believes Alexander Volkanovski may have unintentionally exposed himself following his devastating loss to Islam…

Alexander Volkanovski

Former two-division champion Henry Cejudo believes Alexander Volkanovski may have unintentionally exposed himself following his devastating loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 294.

After narrowly dethroning the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ in their February Fight of the Year contender, Volkanovski accepted a rematch on just 11 days’ notice, stepping in for Makhachev’s originally scheduled UFC 294 opponent, Charles Oliveira. Despite the short-notice nature of the matchup, ‘The Great’ went into the bout with the utmost confidence.

Tragically, Volkanovski would come crashing back down to reality just three minutes into the contest when Islam Makhachev landed a perfectly timed head kick that spelled the end of Volkanovski’s dreams to become a dual-world champion.

Following the event, an emotional Alexander Volkanovski revealed his “struggle” to remain active inside the Octagon, even in the most unfavorable of situations.

“I put myself in his position,” Cejudo said on his YouTube channel. “I think the biggest mistake that Alexander could do is share a lot of who he is as a person to the people. Why do I say that? ‘I’m going through anxieties, I need to stay busy guys, I go crazy if I don’t stay busy or if I don’t fight.’ If I’m a competitor and I’m seeing all that, especially seeing him get knocked out, you know what I’m gonna be doing? I’m gonna be picking at him.”

“If I’m Ilia [Topuria], if I know that he’s concussed, and I know that he goes crazy when he’s not fighting or he’s at home or he goes through anxiety. If I’m Ilia Topuria, you guys know what I’m thinking? I’m thinking about calling this dude out and getting him to step up still on January 20th to have a better chance of actually beating him. You see, there’s times when you’ve gotta keep things to yourself. When you don’t keep things to yourself, you start to expose yourself” (h/t MMA Mania).

Henry Cejudo Urges Volkanovski to take him time

Despite the setback in Abu Dhabi, Volkanovski remains in talks to defend his featherweight title against No. 5 ranked contender Ilia Topuria at UFC 297 on January 20 in Toronto. That would give ‘The Great’ less than three months to prepare for what could very well be the toughest test of his reign as the 145-pound champion.

“If I’m Ilia Topuria on the flip side, you know what I’m thinking? I have to pick a fight with him,” Cejudo continued. “I have to get him to fight me on January 20th because the simple fact that he’s concussed. He’s concussed, it’s not the same Alexander Volkanovski that was out here finishing all these opponents … he’s not the same guy.

“If I’m Alexander Volkanovski on the flip side, you know what I’m doing? I gotta humble myself,” Cejudo said. “I gotta allow my brain to heal for the next six months. I’ve been concussed. Being concussed or going through a knockout, it takes you a minute for you to really kind of start walking that straight line. So there’s two sides. Volk, take your damn time. I wouldn’t necessarily be in a rush. You’re gonna have to humble yourself. Yeah, I’m saying humble yourself because it shouldn’t be about ego or pride. It should be about winning.”

The UFC is expected to make an announcement regarding UFC 297 in the coming weeks.

Israel Adesanya urged to take extended UFC break, encouraged to stop training during planned hiatus

Israel Adesanya urged to stop training during his hiatus from UFC by Henry CejudoConfirming plans for an extended hiatus from mixed martial arts competition following his middleweight title fight loss to Sean…

Israel Adesanya urged to stop training during his hiatus from UFC by Henry Cejudo

Confirming plans for an extended hiatus from mixed martial arts competition following his middleweight title fight loss to Sean Strickland last month, Israel Adesanya has been backed to do just that by ex-two-weight UFC champion, Henry Cejudo, claiming the City Kickboxing staple should likely stop training during his time away from the sport to boot.

Adesanya, former two-time undisputed middleweight champion, headlined UFC 293 back in September against the above-mentioend, Strickland, dropping his middleweight crown for the second time in the space of a year, in the form of a shocking upset unanimous decision loss to the Covina native.

And off the back of his loss, Nigerian-Kiwi striker, Adesanya confirmed his plans to take a lengthy hiatus away from the Octagon amid his loss to Strickland, as well as warning contenders of his impending comeback. 

“Now I’m gonna take time to look after myself,” Israel Adesanya told The Rock podcast during a recent appearance. “And, I’m not gonna fight for a long time. I’m definitely not gonna retire, ‘cause, you know me, I’m not leaving like that. But, if I did [retire], I’m fine. I don’t need to prove anything else. But, I know what I can do, I know what I can change in my lifestyle, to make my body adapt to where I need to be.”

Israel Adesanya backed to take time away from the UFC by Henry Cejudo

Sharing his thoughts on Adesanya’s plans for an extended period of time-off from competition, the above-mentioned Cejudo claimed the former should distance himself from the sport as much as possible during his hiatus.

“I wouldn’t even be around the sport, if I’m Israel Adesanya – you wanna get away from the sport,” Henry Cejudo said. “When I retired the first time, even though I was involved in coaching, I was never really doing anything that had do to with MMA physically. Do I believe he needs a break? One hundred percent. Do I believe he deserves it? Yeah. Do I believe when he comes back, will he get a title shot? Of course. Do you know why? Because you do it tactically – you want to be missed.”

“Israel Adesanya is taking the right step,” Cejudo explained. “But my biggest thing as somebody who took the time off, I got two questions for you. How long? And will you actually stay away from the sport rather than still train and be involved? To me, that could be the biggest difference on how is it that Israel Adesanya comes back and then eventually regains that middleweight strap once again.” (H/T MMA News)

Do you agree with Henry Cejudo’s thoughts on Israel Adesanya’s hiatus?