Henry Cejudo is one of the best fighters to grace not just the UFC, but the world of combat sports. After all, he is one of just five 2-division champions in the UFC and an Olympic gold medalist. That’s where his name Triple C comes from –Flyweight champion, Bantamweight champion and Olympic wrestling champion.
Interestingly enough, he is well-known for his cringe behaviour during fight build-ups and hence, he’s known as the Cringe King. Even though Cejudo retired three years ago, he decided to come back and fight Aljamain Sterling – the current bantamweight champion. He also laid out his plan on cementing his legacy as the greatest fighter in the organization.
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The Loss Against Aljamain Sterling Was a Major Blow
When Cejudo announced that he will be returning to the UFC, sports fans weren’t quite sure if he has what it takes to be a champion. After all, many consider ring rust a real thing and CCC was out for 3 years.
His return was a challenging one – he was fighting for the Bantamweight title with Aljamain “The Funkmaster” Sterling. Funkmaster wasn’t the most legitimate champion because many critiqued his way of obtaining the title in the first place.
When the fight between the two was official, fans were divided. Some thought that Cejudo will crush Sterling, and others thought that Cejudo has lost his touch.
Because both fighters are toe-to-toe, the odds were very close. So, UFC fans just went to reputable instant payout bookies and placed their bets. When the odds are so close the chances of winning big are slim but its kind of irrestible not to place a bet right? The interest in this fight was amazing. The two clashed at UFC 288 and Sterling won by split decision.
The Plan To Go From Triple C to C4 Dropped
During fight week for UFC 288, Cejudo kept talking about his plan to cement his legacy as the greatest fighter in the company’s history. He said that after he beats Sterling, he will take on Sean O’Malley and then go up to featherweight and challenge Alexander Volkanovski for the belt.
While speaking about what made him return, he stated that he originally retired because he “accomplished everything there is to do.” However, he went on to say that “sparks started coming back, the love of me doing this started coming back.”
Hence, he thought that he can go on one more run and become the first-ever 3-division champion in the UFC. He said that his “overall goal is Alexander Volkanovski.” Of course, that plan dropped after losing to Aljamain.
Shortly after the fight, Volkanovski shared his thoughts on a potential fight with Cejudo. He noted that he was glad that Cejudo did not call him out after the fight against Sterling. He added that even though fights like that excite him, these fighters need to “have big wins.”
Merab Dvalishvili and Brandon Moreno – Who’s Next?
After the loss to Aljamain, fans weren’t quite sure of Cejudo’s future in the UFC. After all, Triple C laid out one plan only and Sterling derailed him right from the start. Even though some stated that he will probably retire, Cejudo went on to call out Merab Dvalishvili for UFC 292.
Merab is Aljamain’s best friend, training partner and one of the few future title challengers. Sterling stated that he will fight O’Malley first and then move up to featherweight and thus, give Merab a chance to compete for the bantamweight gold.
Perhaps Cejudo is eyeing yet another title shot in the said category. If he wins it, he will have the credibility to move up a weight class and compete for featherweight gold.
Aside from Merab, there’s one additional fighter that is looking at a fight against Cejudo – Brandon Moreno. Taking to Twitter, Moreno said that it’s not about belts, it’s “just me and you in the octagon.”
Cejudo entertained the idea by saying that “they will talk about it.” He added that if the UFC puts up money on the contest, they can fight, but under one condition – the fight has to be in the USA, not Mexico.
The Most Likely Scenario for Cejudo
Whatever happens next, it is interesting to see what Cejudo plans to do. One of the most likely scenarios is that he will wait for the Sterling vs. O’Malley fight to happen. If Sterling wins, he will likely move to featherweight and thus, give Merab a chance to fight for the bantamweight title. This is where Cejudo will step in and have a second chance to capture gold.
