Former UFC two-division champion [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] is looking to take a step back.
Since coming out of retirement, Cejudo (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) has dropped back-to-back decisions to former champion Aljamain Sterling and current No. 1 contender Merab Dvalishvili.
Cejudo, a former flyweight and bantamweight champion, now has turned his attention to the skidding [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] (20-8 MMA, 10-7 UFC) – at the UFC Apex.
“Hey @RobSFont My wife told me I need to spend more time with my kids so let’s meet up July 20th at the Apex. Don’t even worry about getting me a Father’s Day Gift-the beating I’m gonna give you will be good enough. Sign the contract hoe
.”
Hey @RobSFont My wife told me I need to spend more time with my kids so let’s meet up July 20th at the Apex. Don’t even worry about getting me a Father’s Day Gift-the beating I’m gonna give you will be good enough. Sign the contract hoe 🖊️ 📄
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) May 18, 2024
Cejudo likes how he matches up against Font and believes he’s in a position where he needs to rebound.
“Stylistically, man, I think it’s a great fight for me,” Cejudo said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Kamaru Usman. “I also feel like he’s in the top 10, and I would like to really kind of get back into the groove of things, take a couple fights where I’m able to fight like the favorable opponents. Rob Font is good. He’s got slick boxing, him and (Calvin) Kattar.
“They come from a really good school. But I also see the other deficiencies, too. I just think overall, man. I fought Aljamain, who was the world champ. I fought the No. 1 contender and a freaking beast in Merab. If I’m going to long haul this, I want to make sure that I’m getting the fights stylistically that can fit me.”
Font has lost four of his past five fights. Cejudo admits he views Font as an easier fight but explains the logic behind his callout.
“To me, this is all a competition,” Cejudo said. “What’s going to happen with the bantamweight division is I’m going to allow ‘Chito’ (Vera) and Petr Yan to fight each other. Because more likely the next person that’s in line is probably going to be the winner other than Merab. Merab’s going to get his title shot first, but it’s going to be the winner of Umar (Nurmagomedov) and Sandhagen.
“So I’m just like, all right, dude. I don’t want to take a bigger fight right now because you know where that puts me? That puts me in a position where I’m just going to wait, and I’m not trying to wait. I’m trying to fight and then fight the biggest fight to eventually get to the title.”
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