When Henry Cejudo steps into the Octagon on Saturday, it will be almost three years to the day since he last did so. On 9 May 2020, Cejudo was the reigning UFC bantamweight champion, defending his title against Dominick Cruz – one of the best of all time, but running the risk of ring rust after three years away. This weekend, Cejudo will play Cruz’s role: that of an all-time great returning from an extended absence, bidding to reclaim the gold he once held. In the UFC 288 main event, it will be Aljamain Sterling playing Cejudo’s role: the in-form champion, looking to turn a great into a ghost for good.
Cejudo crept slowly into the conversation around the UFC’s most-accomplished athletes, edging past flyweight ‘GOAT’ Demetrious Johnson on points before retaining the title against then-bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw with a quickfire TKO, and going on to claim the belt that Dillashaw vacated with an impressive, comeback stoppage of Marlon Moraes. Almost suddenly, the American had become one of just four dual-weight champions in UFC history, adding those gold belts to the Olympic gold medal that the wrestler won in 2008.
