Henry Cedujo Hopes Move to UFC’s Flyweight Division Will Revitalize His Career

It’s hard to pinpoint what has been more surprising about Henry Cejudo’s career in mixed martial arts. Cejudo was at the top of the UFC world in May of 2020 following his second-round TKO win over Dominick Cruz. The former Olympic gold medal wrestler was the UFC’s champion in the bantamweight and flyweight divisions.

But in a move that many people believed was a negotiating ploy, Cejudo announced his retirement following the win over Cruz. While people following MMAfighting latest news thought Cejudo would be back quickly, he stayed retired for three years. 

All that time off hasn’t been kind to Cejudo.

When Cejudo returned at UFC 288, he lost a split decision in a bantamweight title fight with Aljamain Sterling. He chose to stay at bantamweight for his scrap, a unanimous decision loss to Merab Dvalishvili. Cejudo, now 37, is looking to go back down in weight.

Opportunities Abound at 125 Pounds

Cejudo has acknowledged in recent interviews that he realizes his time left in the sport is short. That’s why Cejudo has decided to target fighting at 125 pounds. There are plenty of fights in the division Cejudo believes would sell well.

The best MMA news sites would like to see Cejudo fight another former champion, Brandon Moreno. While the former Mexican champion has announced his desire to step away from MMA, the opportunity to fight Cejudo may be enough to lure him back. There is a long history between Cejudo and Moreno. Cejudo initially mentored Moreno and welcomed him into his family home to live.

But when Cejudo was a coach on The Ultimate Fighter, he chose Alexandre Pantoja as the first pick for his team. It was the start of a fraying relationship. Cejudo would later serve as a corner man for Deiveson Figueiredo’s corner when he fought Moreno for the flyweight championship.

Can Cejudo Get Healthy?

Cejudo’s last performance was a stunning loss to Dvalishvili. It’s not that Dvalishvili is a bad fighter, as he is set to fight Sean O’Malley for the UFC title in September at UFC Noche; it’s how the fight went down between Dvalishvili and Cejudo that was shocking. Dvalishvili took Cejudo down six times.

Almost immediately after the fight, Cejudo’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, gave interviews saying he wished he hadn’t taken the fight. Cejudo injured his groin during training camp and wasn’t moving well enough to handle a fighter like Dvalishvili.

Fight With Pantoja Could Be Intriguing

Cejudo isn’t a teacher who has spent his life cheerleading for his former students. While Moreno probably has sour feelings toward Cejudo following their interaction on TUF, Pantoja may not feel that much differently. After Pantoja beat Moreno to become flyweight champion at UFC 290, Cejudo went on the record saying he didn’t believe Pantoja could be champion for long because of his fighting style.

But Pantoja already has more title defenses at flyweight than Cejudo does. Cejudo only defended the belt once against TJ Dillashaw before he decided to make a move up to fight for the vacant bantamweight title.

What to Like About a Move Down

The best reason for Cejudo to move down is that his path to a championship fight would be much quicker. Because Cejudo had two losses at the bantamweight, the former champion would likely need to stack up a few wins before getting the opportunity to challenge for a top spot again.

Pantoja doesn’t have many potential rivals. He has cleared out much of the division already. If Cejudo decides to go back to flyweight, he should get an opportunity faster.

The problem at bantamweight is that Cejudo has consecutive losses, and there are plenty of interesting prospects ahead of him. Cejudo is still ranked sixth in the division but is stuck behind O’Malley, Dvalishvili, Petr Yan, Cory Sandhagen, and Deiveson Figueiredo. Sandhagen is coming off a loss, but the rest of the fighters on that list are coming off wins.

Many of those top-ranked bantamweights are on a winning streak.

Cejudo Has Plenty of Juice to Book Fights

Cejudo rose to the top of the UFC because he was a tremendously gifted fighter who could grapple and strike. His willingness to sell fights helped propel him to stardom. Cejudo isn’t a trash-talker who sounded exceptionally polished, like Muhammad Ali or Conor Mcgregor.

Cejudo’s trash talk was far more childish. Most notably, Cejudo went after O’Malley for having an open marriage. It was a personal attack that made a lot of people feel uncomfortable. 

But if you take things personally, living in the combat sports space probably isn’t the right place for you. MMA news sites show that Cejudo has been tagged with the derisive nickname, the king of cringe. It’s certainly not the most flattering nickname to have, but Cejudo has been one of the most effective fighters at grabbing headlines with his trash talk.

Does Cejudo Still Have the Desire to Cut Weight?

Cejudo has two kids and spent this summer enjoying time with his family and supporting USA wrestling at the Olympics. The biggest challenge with going down a weight class is signing up for a lot of time trying to cut weight. There’s no doubt that those cuts won’t be as easy for Cejudo as they used to be.

While Cejudo has wrestled for nearly his entire life and is used to the process, those pounds will be harder to shed in his late 30s. There isn’t much left for Cejudo to prove in combat sports. If he wants to make more money, the opportunities will always exist.

But will the juice be worth the squeeze? Cejudo may not want to be dedicated to putting all of that effort in if he can’t secure another opportunity to fight for the belt or get a big payday.

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By Dean McHugh.