Tag: Henry Cejudo

Pound-for-pound best? Henry Cejudo warns Khabib Nurmagomedov, Jon Jones he’s on way to top spot

Henry Cejudo hopes to improve his pound-for-pound status in 2020, and he’s issued a warning to anyone standing in his way.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] hopes to improve his pound-for-pound status in 2020, and he’s issued a warning to anyone standing in his way.

Cejudo (15-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC), the current UFC bantamweight champion and former flyweight titleholder, is currently No. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie MMA pound-for-pound rankings. The only men ahead of him? No. 2-ranked [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag], and No. 1-ranked [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag].

Can “Triple C” manage to surpass Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC), the reigning lightweight champion who has never lost a fight, and Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC), the light heavyweight king whose lone career blemish was a bogus disqualification? He certainly believes so (via Instagram):

There are two men ahead of me on the pound for pound rankings and I’m here to tell you Virus or no Virus that crown will be mine! @khabib_nurmagomedov @jonnybones #bendtheknee 🥇🥇🥇

Assuming the UFC schedule does not undergo further adjustment due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Nurmagomedov will be first of the sport’s pound-for-pound top three to step in the octagon, as he’s scheduled to fight Tony Ferguson in the main event of UFC 249 on April 18. The event does not currently have a location.

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Cejudo is then on deck. He will attempt to make his first 135-pound title defense at UFC 250 on May 9 when he meets former pound-for-pound great Jose Aldo.

Jones, meanwhile, does not have a fight on the books. “Bones” has already competed this year, though, picking up a hotly contested decision win over Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 in February.

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Henry Cejudo on cringe reaction: If I didn’t open my mouth, flyweight division would be gone

Henry Cejudo fully believes that while he’s no longer the UFC flyweight champion, his mouth is what kept the division afloat.

LAS VEGAS – The birth of “Triple C” has made [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] one of the sport’s most talked-about stars.

After climbing the flyweight ranks, Cejudo (15-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) shocked the world by dethroning former UFC 125-pound king Demetrious Johnson at UFC 227, avenging his loss from their first meeting.

Everything changed for Cejudo, the current bantamweight champion, after winning his first title. The Olympic wrestling gold medalist took a different approach to self-promotion, and decided to embrace his inner cringe. Cejudo took on then-UFC bantamweight champ, T.J. Dillashaw, for his first title defense. The fight promos included costumes, trash talk and props, which all paid off for Cejudo, who backed everything up his histrionics in the Jan. 2019 bout by stopping Dillashaw in just 32 seconds.

The general notion going in was that if Dillashaw beat Cejudo, it would likely spell the end of 125-pound weight class in the UFC. While the flyweight division remains in flux, the division’s former champion believes he is the reason the division remains alive.

“If I literally wasn’t to open my mouth…the flyweight division would have been gone,” Cejudo said at the recent Dominance MMA media day. “I took it upon myself to become the ‘Triple C’ and to make it happen. Listen to Chael Sonnen, call him ‘Triple Cringe,’ ‘Triple C,’ the dude save 57 freakin jobs.”

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“So there is a business sense to it, I think fighters we tend to forget that a little bit. I’m not hurting nobody, I’m not committing crimes. They asked Demetrious Johnson not too long ago, what do you think of Henry Cejudo, what do you think of all the cringe, ‘dude I love it.’ This isn’t hurting anybody. I mean this is the dude I defeated, this is the dude I beat so part of the game is being an entertainer as well and I happen to save a division on top of that so I’m happy with that.”

When Dillashaw was stripped of his 135-pound title after testing positive for EPO, Cejudo moved up in weight and faced the streaking Marlon Moraes for the vacant bantamweight title at UFC 238. He scored another stoppage, coming from behind to defeat Moraes via fourth-round TKO.

He joined a select few to win two titles simultaneously, and is set to make his first 135-pound title defense against former longtime featherweight champion Jose Aldo at UFC 250, looking to add another big name to his resume.

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Marlon Moraes praises Henry Cejudo for smart decision to fight Jose Aldo

While the vast majority might disagree with Henry Cejudo’s next opponent, Marlon Moraes thinks otherwise.

LAS VEGAS – While a majority might disagree with [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag]’s next opponent, [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] thinks otherwise.

Former dual champion Cejudo (15-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) still is scheduled to make his first bantamweight title defense against Jose Aldo on May 9 in the main event of UFC 250, despite concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.

But with an array of hungry contenders such as Petr Yan, Aljamain Sterling and Cory Sandhagen waiting for their shot at the title, Cejudo opted to face former featherweight king Aldo, who failed to make good in his 135-pound debut against Moraes at UFC 245.

Moraes (23-6-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC), the one to spoil Aldo’s bantamweight debut, thinks Cejudo actually made the right choice.

“I think it’s a smart decision,” Moraes said at a recent Dominance MMA media day. “Henry, it’s his position, he’s the champion, he won two belts, he gave up the flyweight division, and he pick a good fight. Good opponent for him. Aldo’s a legend, and we’ll see what happens, but I think he was smart. He took a good fight for him.”

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Cejudo captured the vacant UFC bantamweight title by taking out Moraes last June, but he hasn’t competed since. He’s received heavy criticism for picking Aldo off of a loss, but Cejudo is more concerned with paving his own path.

“My last three opponents … because I am getting a lot of (expletive), Petr Yan, Aljamain Sterling,” Cejudo said. “My last three opponents – Demitrious Johnson, probably the greatest MMA fighter of all time, beat him. Second was T.J. Dillashaw, the guy that was on EPO, the greatest bantamweight of all time, beat him. Then the killer (Moraes) back here, man’s been knocking people out – his last three opponents he knocked out in the first round.

“Guys, Petr Yan, he fought a 40-year-old retired skateboarder, Aljamain Sterling? Give me the name, I deserve the name, and it was a close fight with Marlon and Aldo. Man, Aldo, he’s a legend. I’m out here to take names, but I’m out here to build my own legacy. If you guys don’t like it, like Dana said, don’t watch it. But I know you guys are.”

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In choosing Jose Aldo, Henry Cejudo is out to ‘snatch everybody’s legacies’

For Henry Cejudo, fighting Jose Aldo at UFC 250 is about adding another legend to his resume.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] is looking to add another legend to his resume.

While he received heavy criticism for opting to make his first UFC bantamweight title defense against [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag], Cejudo (15-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) said it’s all about building his legacy.

“It was the right fight to make because he’s a legend,” Cejudo told MMA Junkie this past Saturday at a Dominance MMA media day in Las Vegas. “The only people that Jose ‘Baldo’ has ever lost to has been nothing but the best. I mean, Jose Aldo – you’ve never heard him losing to either a former champion, a champion, or somebody along those lines.

“Whether you guys want to watch or not – which I know they’re all gonna watch – ‘Triple C’ is going to be serving ‘G.O.A.T.’ on May 9. So I hope all you Brazilians – hope you guys didn’t eat too much for Carnival, because I’m going to be serving ‘G.O.A.T.”

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After dethroning longtime UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, Cejudo made his first successful 125-pound title defense against then-bantamweight champ T.J. Dillashaw and stopped him in just 32 seconds.

After that, he joined an elite few who have held two titles simultaneously. Cejudo captured the 135-pound title Dillashaw was stripped of due to a failed drug test when he stopped Marlon Moraes at UFC 238.

It will have been 11 months since Cejudo most recently fought when he makes the walk to take on Aldo (28-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) at UFC 250 in Sao Paulo.

Cejudo also has called out UFC featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski. In Aldo, he’s facing another all-time great.

“My whole thing is, I’d like to add Demetrious Johnson, the greatest flyweight of all time; T.J. Dillashaw the greatest bantamweight of all time; and Jose Aldo, the greatest featherweight of all time,” Cejudo said. “I’m snatching everybody’s legacies.

“Flyweight, bantamweight – I’m taking everybody from 99 pounds to 149 pounds so they can all get it. It’s the ‘Triple C’ weight division.”

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Alexander Volkanovski on Henry Cejudo: If that fight happens, he’ll regret calling me out pretty quick

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski doesn’t think things will go well for bantamweight champ Henry Cejudo if they fight.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] doesn’t think things will go well for [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] if they fight.

Former dual-champion and current UFC bantamweight titleholder Cejudo called out featherweight champ Volkanovski in February, suggesting he’d be willing to move up in weight to chase a third title.

Saturday, while a guest fighter at UFC 248 in Las Vegas, Volkanovski (21-1 MMA, 8-0 UFC) seemed open to the idea of a potential fight with Cejudo and issued a warning to “Triple C.”

“Henry, he’s going to do his thing and talk and get his name and try to stay relevant and all that – and good on him,” Volkanovski said. “But if that happens, and he fights, and we do face each other in the octagon, he’ll regret calling me out pretty quick.”

Cejudo makes his first 135-pound title defense against former UFC featherweight king Jose Aldo at UFC 250, a man Volkanovski recently beat on his way to the title, which he took from longtime champ Max Holloway.

Despite heavy criticism shed on the booking, Volkanovski doesn’t think it’ll be an easy matchup for Cejudo.

“Obviously, Aldo’s got a couple of losses – but he’s still in good nick. I still think he’s a tough fight for Cejudo, as well, so I hope Cejudo isn’t taking that fight lightly,” Volkanovski said. “Aldo’s no joke. I don’t even know how old he is, but even at the age he is now, he’s still moving really well. I still think Aldo can get it done.

“I don’t know. I’ll definitely watch. I’ll be interested to see. I think Aldo can actually get it done.”

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‘Triple C’ vs. Kayla and Khabib: Who won this passionate debate about wrestling and judo?

Henry Cejudo found himself on the wrong end of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Kayla Harrison’s scorn in a wrestling vs. judo debate.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] found himself on the wrong end of [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] and [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag]’s on Saturday at Dominance MMA media day, and somehow I was right in the middle of it.

As I attempted to kick off an interview with Cejudo, the current UFC bantamweight champion, reigning PFL women’s lightweight champ Harrison interjected. Like Cejudo, Harrison won Olympic gold before moving to MMA (and did so twice), but her sport was judo, while Cejudo’s was wrestling.

Harrison argued that judo is the superior sport, and the tone of the conversation turned passionate. Harrison wanted a third opinion, though, and that’s when she brought UFC lightweight champ Nurmagomedov into the mix for a third opinion. Nurmagomedov sided with Harrison, vouching for judo as the higher level sport.

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Cejudo tried to fire back, but Harrison felt she’d already won the debate and accused Cejudo of “shaking in his cringe little boots.”

All in all, it was quite a hilarious moment between three fighters who are the best in the world in their respective weight classes.

Watch the video above and enjoy the exchange, as well as my discussion with Cejudo once the whole scene died down a little. He was in absolute peak form (especially to close things out).

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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Henry Cejudo interview with MMA Junkie is interrupted by fellow champs

During an interview with MMA Junkie, Henry Cejudo was interrupted by fellow champ Kayla Harrison ho ran away with the interview. There even was a surprise cameo by UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov.

During an interview with MMA Junkie, Henry Cejudo was interrupted by fellow champ Kayla Harrison ho ran away with the interview. There even was a surprise cameo by UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Dana White: Henry Cejudo deserves respect for wanting to fight Jose Aldo

“If you’re Cejudo, you want to take on a legend like Jose Aldo, I get it.”

UFC president Dana White thinks [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] deserves credit for chasing after a legend like [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag].

Cejudo (15-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) will attempt to make his first bantamweight title defense at UFC 250 when he takes on Aldo (28-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) in enemy territory.

Aldo failed to make good in his bantamweight debut and was narrowly defeated by Marlon Moraes in a controversial split decision loss, which prompted heavy criticism when the UFC decided to grant Cejudo’s wish. But White, who scored the fight for Aldo, understands where the former dual-champ Cejudo is coming from with his callout of the former long-time featherweight champ.

“Jose Aldo has been a bad mother(expletive) his whole career, and a guy like Cejudo wants to fight him,” White told reporters Tuesday in Las Vegas. “Instead of criticizing, you should respect that, the fact that he wants to fight Jose Aldo. Cejudo isn’t a guy running around looking for easy fights. He’s not like, ‘Oh, I want this guy or that guy,’ and coming off the fight he just fought, to win his second belt, and the way that he won it, this isn’t a guy looking for easy fights.

“If you’re Cejudo, you want to take on a legend like Jose Aldo, I get it. I totally get it.”

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Other bantamweights near the top of the division – notably Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan – don’t share White’s sentiment. But White thinks the notion that Cejudo is looking for easy fights is unfair. The way he sees it, Aldo proved that he still has a lot left in the tank despite losing his last fight.

“It would be one thing if you had a champ that was trying to duck people and trying to look for easier guys, that is not Henry Cejudo,” White said. “Say what you want about Henry Cejudo, if you don’t like him, you don’t like his personality or the things that he does, this guy does not look for easy fights, and he wants Jose Aldo, and Jose Aldo is a dangerous guy.”

Since dethroning Demetrious Johnson to capture the flyweight title, Cejudo went on to shock the masses once again when he stopped former two-time UFC bantamweight champ T.J. Dillashaw in just 32 seconds to defend his belt. He then made history by joining elite company in holding two titles simultaneously after he finished Moraes in a comeback win to capture the 135-pound title.

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