2008 Beijing Olympics freestyle wrestling gold medalist and former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo (36, USA) returns after three years and aims to recapture the UFC bantamweight title.
Cejudo will challenge bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling (33, USA) at UFC 288: Sterling vs. Cejudo, which will be held at the Newark Prudential Center in New Jersey, USA on the 7th (Korean time).
I came to retrieve the belt that was never stolen. Cejudo retired after succeeding in his first bantamweight defense against Dominic Cruz (38, USA) at UFC 249 in May 2020. It was because he had nothing more to accomplish.
Cejudo claims to be one of the greatest fight sports fighters of all time. When he was 21 years old, he competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and became a gold medalist in freestyle wrestling (55kg class). Afterwards, he turned to MMA and became the 2018 flyweight (56.7kg) champion and the 2019 bantamweight (61.2kg) champion. He calls himself ‘Triple C’, meaning he’s been the champion three times.
The reason Cejudo, who said he had nothing to achieve anymore, returned because of the featherweight (65.5kg) champion Alexander Volkanovski (34, Australia). He’s clamoring to beat Volkanovski to win his fourth title to become ‘Quadruple C’.
Cejudo has repeatedly demanded from the UFC that he can return if he gives Volkanovski a fight. Last year, when his teammate “Korean Zombie” Chan-seong Jeong (36) challenged Volkanovski, he even appealed to him for a title shot.
However, when he couldn’t get permission from the UFC, he decided to regain the bantamweight title first. Cejudo sees current champion Sterling as a warm-up for Volkanovski.
“I think sterling is easy money,” said Cejudo at a media day held on the 4th. “I know there are times when I truly have to leave,” he said. I like challenges,” he explained the reason for his return.
Cejudo is thinking of challenging Volkanovski’s featherweight division through Sterling and Sean O’Malley (28, USA).
“Volkanovski is the best challenger I want,” said Cejudo. I want to fight him in his backyard, Australia.”
Sterling is not an easy opponent. At UFC 267 in 2021, Sterling received a lot of suspicion when he accidentally became the champion after being fouled by Pyotr Yan (30, Russia), who was the champion at the time.
However, in a rematch held at UFC 273 in April of last year, Yan was defeated by decision. In October, he caught former champion TJ Dillashaw (37, USA) by TKO in the second round. Now, no one doubts his qualifications as a champion.
Sterling looks down on Cejudo, the “human,” but respects Cejudo, the “fighter.” He said, “Cejudo is a shriveled guy. “I think he lacks social skills,” he said, “but other than that, I respect Cejudo as a player.”
“Cejudo is a fighter who does amazing tricks. “Maybe Cejudo is underestimating me. That will be his weakness on match day.”메이저놀이터
In the co-main event on this day, Bellal Muhammad (34, USA), 4th in the welterweight rankings, and Gilbert Burns (36, Brazil), 5th, will face each other. The goal of the two players is to win this time and steal the welterweight title shot that Colby Covington (35, USA) was supposed to receive.
The main card of ‘UFC 288: Sterling vs. Cejudo’ will be broadcast live on TVING from 11:00 am on May 7th. Undercard will be broadcast live on the same platform from 9:00 am.