Tag: Henry Cejudo

Henry Cejudo: Max Holloway ‘100 percent’ beats UFC 314 version of Alexander Volkanovski

Henry Cejudo urges Max Holloway to remain at featherweight and challenge Alexander Volkanovski.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] urges [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] to remain at featherweight and challenge [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag].

Volkanovski (27-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC) reclaimed the featherweight belt by defeating Diego Lopes (27-6 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 314 main event at Kaseya Center in Miami.

Multiple top contenders such as UFC 314 winners Yair Rodriguez and Jean Silva, as well as Movsar Evloev, are vying for a shot at Volkanovski. However, Cejudo suggests former champion Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) instead. Although Holloway is 0-3 in title fights against Volkanovski, Cejudo sees him winning this time around.

“I feel like 145 is wide open,” Cejudo told MMA Junkie. “I feel like the person who should come back is Max Holloway. I think Max Holloway does a number on everybody at that weight class. Yes, 100 percent (he beats Volkanovski). Obviously he did get knocked out by Ilia (Topuria) too, but I just feel like his volume, I feel like he’s healthier, he’s got the better chin, and I feel like it’ll definitely be different this time around.”

Cejudo explained that he didn’t like what he saw out of Volkanovski defensively in terms of his reaction time.

“Volkanovski did look good, but if he gets touched up, I almost feel like there’s something to it,” Cejudo said. “Like he over-exaggerates when Diego was hitting him. He’s got to be careful with that. I can go back and see why is it that Ilia Topuria ended up knocking him out.

“He does a lot of things good, but he does a lot of things wrong, particularly defensively. He’s always doing this (leans back) or he’ll go for the takedown, and he’ll come up without his hands coming up, and I feel like if Diego really invested in that hook, it would be a little different.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.

Henry Cejudo: Michael Chandler must ‘consider retirement’ after one more fight

Henry Cejudo can relate to Michael Chandler’s current situation.

MIAMI – [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] can relate to [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag]’s current situation.

Chandler (23-10 MMA, 2-5 UFC) suffered his third consecutive loss when he was stopped by Paddy Pimblett in Saturday’s UFC 314 co-main event at Kaseya Center.

On a three-fight losing skid himself, Cejudo (16-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) is looking to compete one more time before calling it a career. He urges Chandler to consider doing the same.

“I’m 0-3 now, so I get it, Chandler,” Cejudo told MMA Junkie. “He probably has to get one more and just consider retirement. That’s a lot of beatings, man.”

Cejudo thinks Chandler never lived up to his potential in the UFC. The former Bellator champion had competitive fights with the upper echelon of the UFC’s lightweight division but wound up falling short against Charles Oliveira twice, Justin Gaethje, and Dustin Poirier.

“I think Chandler could have been the best in the world,” Cejudo said. “He’s too much of a crowd pleaser and that has really bit him in the ass. Mike Perry was a crowd pleaser, too. There’s only a certain time before the UFC just says, ‘Hey man, thank you for pleasing us, but we got to move on.’ I feel like Chandler, they’re probably going to, at this point, maybe the UFC might give him a younger guy, and that’s typically what happens in this game.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.

Henry Cejudo ‘smelling an upset’ in UFC 314 co-main event

Henry Cejudo admits Paddy Pimblett is better than he initially thought.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] admits [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] is better than he initially thought.

Pimblett (22-3 MMA, 6-0 UFC) takes on former title challenger [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) in Saturday’s five-round UFC 314 co-headliner (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) at Kaseya Center in Miami.

Although Pimblett is a slight betting favorite over Chandler, Cejudo would consider it an upset if he’s able to beat the former multiple-time Bellator champion – and he thinks he will.

“I’m smelling an upset,” Cejudo said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Kamaru Usman. “Paddy Pimblett, I think he’s going to bring in the grappling. I think he might pull guard on this dude. His hands are not bad, either. I also think he can force Michael Chandler to do something in the bottom. If he cannot take Michael Chandler down, he’s more likely going to have to do that.

“But I just feel like Paddy Pimblett, he’s a lot better than what I thought and what he was able to do to Bobby Green, his transitional stuff. We’ve got to put some respect on that dude’s name, and he’s only gotten better, bro. I just feel like with Michael Chandler, I think the UFC knows what they’re doing. They’re doing a five rounder. Like, think about it. I think Paddy Pimblett is a lot better than what we think, and I’m smelling an upset here.”

Looking at the landscape of the lightweight division, Cejudo sees big implications for Pimblett with a win.

“I do believe that this, a win over Michael Chandler, could put him in a really good position,” Cejudo continued. “He could be one fight away from fighting for the title.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.

Henry Cejudo says he apprehended suspect who allegedly plowed vehicle into neighbor’s house

Henry Cejudo says he tussled with the driver of a car that plowed into a house on his block.

What started as a typical night in the neighborhood turned into a dramatic moment for former two-division UFC champion [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] on Friday.

As Cejudo was outside his Phoenix home with his producer, Dylan Rush, he said a vehicle traveling at a speed he estimated to be 80-100 mph plowed into one of his neighbors’ house.

The driver, Cejudo said, tried to flea the scene, and when other passengers tried to follow, Cejudo said he and the home’s owner took steps to detain them, and that he grounded and restrained one of the alleged suspects until police arrived.

“You can see inside this room, if someone was standing in there, they would be dead. All these kids are lucky to be alive,” Cejudo said in a statement shared with MMA Junkie. “Once they got out I told them, ‘Hey, you guys aren’t going nowhere.’ The owner of this house tried to stop them and said you need to be held accountable. One of them ended up (punching) my neighbor, and that’s when I had to step in.

“Pretty much all my neighbours came in to fight the situation. I ended up lifting him, dropping him, slapped him around a little bit and just pretty much controlled him.”

Cejudo said it was “devastating” to see the damage to his friend’s home and said a block party occurred with children earlier in the day on the same street on which the accident took place.

“If it was a couple hours earlier, someone would be seriously injured,” Cejudo said.

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Henry Cejudo: Sean O’Malley is ‘being protected’ with Merab Dvalishvili rematch at UFC 316

Henry Cejudo expected Sean O’Malley get a UFC title rematch against Merab Dvalishvili. Here’s why.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] expected [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] to get a rematch against [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag].

Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) dethroned O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) by unanimous decision to become bantamweight champion at UFC 306 in September. Following surgery to repair a torn labrum, O’Malley runs things back with Dvalishvili June 7 in the UFC 316 headliner at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

While Cejudo isn’t surprised with the direction that the UFC decided to go, he sees no case for O’Malley to get another opportunity right away.

“I think we all knew it, bro, Sean O’Malley was going to get his rematch,” Cejudo said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Kamaru Usman. “It was the right thing to do to protect him, but I just feel like Sean has to get it done within the first two rounds. He’s being protected, dude.

“Like, does somebody really deserve a rematch after getting 50-45, Kamaru Usman? Like, no. You got 50-45. Get in the back of the motherf*cking line and fight the ‘Triple C,’ but he’s not going to get that. The UFC, they like him. They like the teeny poppers. They want to get into that new generation, Gen Z.”

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Cejudo doesn’t see the rematch going any differently. Outside of a late body kick which stung Dvalishvili, O’Malley struggled to get any offense going and was repeatedly taken down and controlled throughout the fight. While O’Malley was recovering, Dvalishvili retained his title by defeating Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311.

“Merab Dvalishvili, he’s pretty much going to do the same thing,” Cejudo continued. “Level change, strike, level change, strike. Maybe give up the first round and bring in the takedowns. It’s the same thing. The question is to me, could a guy like Sean O’Malley hit him to the body early, crack him to the face, and get rid of him?

“He did hurt him to the body in the fifth, and that’s an indicator that the body could be open, and I think if Merab starts getting hit to the body, he’s going to really pivot the pace. I can see Merab Dvalishvili stopping him this time around, and just getting on top of him and ground and pounding him to a pulp.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 316.

Henry Cejudo cites Khabib to argue Jon Jones’ worth in potential Tom Aspinall showdown

Henry Cejudo thinks UFC champion Jon Jones has a right for a big asking price to face Tom Aspinall.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] believes UFC champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] has earned the right to ask for a massive payday to fight [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag].

Interim heavyweight champion Aspinall has been eagerly awaiting his title-unification bout with Jones, but it’s yet to materialize. With Daniel Cormier claiming that Khabib Nurmagomedov once turned down the UFC’s $40 million offer to come out of retirement, Cejudo thinks Jones should be offered a similar amount to fight Aspinall.

Joe Rogan said Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) wants $30 million to fight Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) – which he later retracted after UFC CEO Dana White reached out to him to deny the claim. Cejudo thinks “Bones” should use that number as leverage.

“Joe Rogan just came up with the whole $30 million deal, keep it at $30 million, he just helped you,” Cejudo told MMA Junkie. “This is what should be the storyline. If they’re willing to give Khabib Nurmagomedov $40 million, what is the greatest of all time worth?

“If Joe Rogan just said there’s a $30 million deal in there, let’s do it. Stick to that number. You’re undefeated, you deserve it, and Turki’s (Alalshikh) been giving money like crazy. Why don’t you get Turki involved, do it in Saudi Arabia, make it one of the biggest fights of all time, and do it. That’s how you get your money.”

Jones vs. Aspinall prediction

If the matchup does end up happening, Cejudo sees Jones’ experience and fight IQ being too much for Aspinall.

“We all know that Tom is dangerous, but there’s just too many tools that Jon has, too many tools. ” Cejudo said. “And I feel like this is where Aspinall is (boxing), he’s not much of a kicker. He’s not much of a grappler, too, and I feel like those are things that Jon brings, and he’s too smart. As soon as this guy starts coming, boom, there’s a clinch, there’s a leg. There’s all that, but he just has to be careful in that first round, and I think after that it’s all gravy.”

To hear more from Cejudo, check out his complete appears on “The Bohnfire” podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn.

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Henry Cejudo suggests Khabib Nurmagomedov could prevent Makhachev vs. Topuria from happening

Henry Cejudo believes UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov could get in the way of Islam Makhachev defending his title against Ilia Topuria.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] believes UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] could get in the way of [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] defending his lightweight title against [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag].

In a chat with Cejudo this past December, Nurmagomedov said he’d be against Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) getting an immediate shot at Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) and his belt.

“I remember talking to Khabib, and Khabib said it’s not fair for Ilia to skip the line and go after the title shot with Islam because that’s all Islam’s been doing,” Cejudo told MMA Junkie. “He gave Volkanovski a couple (title shots) where he’s gone up. So I don’t even think it’s going to be Islam’s choice. I think Khabib is going to step in and be like, ‘He needs to fight the No. 1 contender.'”

Although Topuria recently revealed that the UFC promised him an immediate lightweight title shot after he opted to vacate his featherweight title, Cejudo thinks Nurmagomedov’s stipulation will be put into play.

“Khabib said if Ilia does beat a No. 1 contender then sure, we’ll do that,” Cejudo said. “I personally think that Islam will fight anybody, anytime, anywhere. There’s a quote on him at the PI that says that, but I think that the person that’s more likely going to play backup is going to be Khabib Nurmagomedov. He’s going to say no, so for that reason, I am guessing it’s going to be Justin Gaethje vs. Islam Makhachev, International Fight Week.”

As for Topuria, Cejudo sees him fighting one of the division’s staples.

“They could probably give Ilia Dustin Poirier in Louisiana,” Cejudo said. “Because I’m thinking Charles doesn’t want to fight Ilia Topuria, he says ‘I’ll fight him when I’m champ.’ So, I don’t know how much pull he has there, but if a fighter is saying he won’t fight somebody for that title shot because he already did get that opportunity and he lost, he doesn’t have leverage. The UFC will just shelf you. So, I can see Ilia Topuria vs. Dustin Poirier.”

To hear more from Cejudo, check out his complete appears on “The Bohnfire” podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn.

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Former UFC champ Henry Cejudo mulling retirement after ‘the worst injury I’ve had’

Henry Cejudo is still having vision issues from Song Yadong’s eye pokes and it has him contemplating the end of his UFC career.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] is still dealing with the after effects of the eye injury sustained in his UFC Fight Night 253 loss to Song Yadong, and it has served as a wake-up call.

Cejudo (16-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) saw his main event with Song (22-8-1 MMA, 11-3-1 UFC) end in controversial fashion when an eye poke led to a lengthy break in the action late in the third round. The former two-division champion eventually continued and made it to the end of the frame, where he was unfit to keep fighting, resulting in a technical decision.

Song was not deducted any points for his damaging fouls on Cejudo, which would’ve led to a draw on the scorecards. The eye pokers were not deemed intentional, either, which would’ve led to a no contest or disqualification win for Cejudo. Instead, he not only came out with a loss, but also lingering complications to his vision that have significantly altered his retirement timeline.

“I sound like a cry baby, but it’s the worst injury I’ve had,” Cejudo told MMA Junkie. “I actually got a second opinion. I went to Sean (O’Malley’s) doctor. The other one, he said my eye would be good in a month, but every time I watch TV or I’m looking down, I still see double. It’s been a month and it was a little pinkie that went inside (my eye) and I’m still not 100 percent. My doctor said it would be like another month. ‘Korean Zombie’ (Chan Sung Jung) has the same symptoms, and it was the reason he had to retire. I’m seeing double. When I put my eye a certain way, I’ll see two feet. Luckily it’s only when I lay down or I look down, but it took me like five days for my eye to stop seeing double when I got hurt. It’s not the fact I couldn’t see, but I was seeing two people.

“I never really saw the sport of mixed martial arts as kind of dangerous. I talked to my wife, and I think this could potentially be my last fight. One more and that’s it. If I can run it back with Song, I would be happy with that. But if it’s not Song, I would like anyone that the UFC’s willing to give me. I want to be able to play with my kids. I want to be able to not f*cking lose an eye. That’s kind of how I’m feeling right now to be quite honest with you.”

Cejudo said he is in the process of filing an appeal and legal action with the Washington State Department of Licensing (WSDOL) over how he thinks referee Jason Herzog mishandled the situation on Feb. 22 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Whether that will lead to anything fruitful remains to be seen, but Cejudo said a satisfying outcome would be to have the result overturned to a no contest.

Regardless of how it plays out, Cejudo said his priority is his health. The 38-year-old retired previously in May 2020, but for vastly different reasons. The eye injury has altered his reality and made him think differently about the consequence that can come with stepping in the octagon.

Cejudo could minimize any additional health risks by simply hanging up the gloves now. However, he said that potential path is not one he could live comfortably with, but it’s all dependent on whether his current situation actually improves.

If the worst-case scenario occurs, though, then Cejudo will have seriously rethink the upside of ever stepping back in the octagon.

“I don’t want to leave – I don’t mind losing, but I don’t want to leave getting hit in my freaking eye ball,” Cejudo said. “It just can’t end like that. And I’m grateful. I love Dana (White) and everybody. This isn’t a shot at the UFC. They’ve given me a platform to really help out my family, to really put myself in a great position to where I can set myself up for the future. But at the same time, my health is No. 1 above everything.

“I’m not sure what the UFC has planned (for me). I definitely want to fight some time in the fall. Let my eye heal, they said another 30 days, but if it doesn’t get better, I just don’t know when I’ll be back. I think this is the last one, and that’s all she wrote.”

To hear more from Cejudo, check out his complete appears on “The Bohnfire” podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn.

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Henry Cejudo after UFC 313: ‘Alex Pereira’s lifestyle is finally catching up to him’

Henry Cejudo thinks former UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira let outside distractions get the best of him.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] thinks former UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] let outside distractions get the best of him.

Pereira (12-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) lost his title to Magomed Ankalaev (21-1-1 MMA, 12-1-1 UFC) by unanimous decision in Saturday’s UFC 313 main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Many questioned Pereira for traveling to Sydney, Australia just one month ahead of his title defense. Cejudo thinks the media obligations, sponsorships and other involvements have negatively impacted “Poatan.”

“I think Alex Pereira’s lifestyle is finally kind of catching up to him,” Cejudo said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Kamaru Usman. “The travel, the ‘Chama,’ a lot of the skit,  and a lot of stuff that he’s actually doing, it’s really not doing him any service. The only reason why I say this is because his body looked a little different, dude.

“He looked a little pudgier, he looked a little thicker in the face going in. We have to credit Magomed Ankalaev. He did a really good job of his composure, bro. He didn’t react to a lot of Pereira’s things. The dude has his hands up the whole damn time and not just that, but Alex Pereira also has trouble with southpaws.”

It appears Pereira will get an opportunity to reclaim his title after UFC CEO Dana White said an immediate rematch with Ankalaev is likely what will happen next.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 313.

Henry Cejudo: Justin Gaethje can push Ilia Topuria out of title picture with UFC 313 win

Henry Cejudo could see Justin Gaethje emerge as the No. 1 contender after UFC 313.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] could see [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] emerge as the No. 1 contender after UFC 313.

Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) rematches Rafael Fiziev (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in Saturday’s co-main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews/Disney+, ESPN+).

Gaethje knows UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev is seeking new blood, and “The Highlight” is yet to fight him. [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] vacated his featherweight title for a move up to 155 pounds, but Cejudo recalls his conversation with Khabib Nurmagomedov, and how he thinks Topuria needs at least one win before a title shot.

“I just feel like there’s a statement that Justin Gaethje needs to do, that wants to do,” Cejudo said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Kamaru Usman. “This is what I love about Justin. He’s creating a storyline of him saying that if I go out and perform, I am going to skip Ilia Topuria and I am going to fight Islam Makhachev. I love it.

“I do believe it could actually happen because when I sat down with Khabib (Nurmagomedov) and I asked, ‘Does Ilia Topuria deserve a title shot at 155 pounds?’ you know what Khabib said? ‘He needs to fight the No. 1 contender.’ So I do believe with a great victory for Justin Gaethje, that he can slide in there and tell Ilia Topuria, ‘Move out of the way. This is my turn. You’ve got to fight the No. 1 contender.”

Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) recently teased news that he says will surprise everyone.

“When we announce it, you won’t believe it. Get ready.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 313.