Henry Cejudo’s return to the UFC appears to be taking more realistic steps after a meeting with two of the most powerful men in the company.
Cejudo, the former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion, recently signaled the end of his retirement from competition by revealing he would re-enter the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) drug testing pool. Once he clears the six-month window, “Triple C” would be available to be booked in fights.
Although Cejudo (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) had been pushing hard for a matchup with Alexander Volkanovski in attempt to claim an unprecedented third UFC belt, it appears his focus has now shifted to regaining the 135-pound strap from reigning champion Aljamain Sterling (21-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC).
Cejudo’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz of Dominance MMA, posted a photo on Saturday of his client meeting with UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell and matchmaker Sean Shelby (via Twitter):
All @ufc bantamweight division in big trouble The double champ is here https://t.co/cBDOqSxXkl
— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) April 23, 2022
All @ufc bantamweight division in big trouble The double champ is here
Cejudo, who never lost either of his UFC titles in the octagon but rather vacated them when he abruptly retired following a bantamweight title defense over Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 in May 2020, made it clear he’s coming for Sterling next (via Twitter):
I’m coming back for these tomato cans and I’m going to right the wrong! Aljolame you the number one contender Bitch @funkmasterMMA @danawhite https://t.co/uyCaRMXDMf
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) April 23, 2022
I’m coming back for these tomato cans and I’m going to right the wrong! Aljolame you the number one contender Bitch @funkmasterMMA @danawhite
Sterling, who unified his UFC title with Petr Yan courtesy of a split decision win at UFC 273 this month, was quick to react to Cejudo’s message, and his tone was one of amusement (via Twitter):
Lolololololol
And
LOL 😂 https://t.co/QuhCP2jfgj— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) April 23, 2022
Lolololololol
And
LOL 😂
It remains to be seen if the promotion will pair Cejudo and Sterling up at the first possible opportunity. UFC president Dana White has said in the past that he would like to see Cejudo win a fight before jumping into a title bout if he ever made a return to the promotion.
According to the USADA database, Cejudo has yet to be tested since claiming he was joining the program.
