Henry Cejudo provides statement after ‘relinquishing’ flyweight title
Henry Cejudo is no longer “Triple C.”
It was reported on Thursday evening by BJPENN.com that Joseph Benavidez will battle Deiveson Figueiredo for the vacant flyweight title as the main event of UFC Norfolk on Feb. 29. It was later confirmed by MMA Junkie and ESPN. Both followed up with Cejudo who says he was never stripped. Instead, he relinquished the belt.
“I’m going to relinquish the belt,” Cejudo said to ESPN. “UFC never stripped me. I want to relinquish the belt and focus on 135 pounds.
“I want to smash the so-called ‘King of Rio’ [Aldo], and anybody and everybody at 135 pounds, I saved the flyweight division. But, they’re not saved from my wrath, because my name is still Triple C. Allow me to remind anyone who has forgot: I am the Olympic, flyweight and bantamweight champion of the world.”
It was apparent that Henry Cejudo was reluctant to go back down to flyweight since winning the bantamweight title in June. He has been calling out 135ers like Jose Aldo, Dominick Cruz, and Urijah Faber. So, the UFC decided to book this title fight between two very deserving flyweights.
Even though Henry Cejudo ends 2019 no longer as a champ-champ, he wants everyone to know he is the fighter of the year. And everyone who doesn’t vote for him doesn’t know anything about fighting.
“I am the 2019 fighter of the year,” Cejudo told Okamoto. “I beat a roided-up TJ Dillashaw in 32 seconds, and I beat the No. 1 contender up a weight class, the killer Marlon Moraes. I saved a whole damn weight division. So all you fat, bald reporters that don’t know anything about fighting better bend the knee before you vote for fighter of the year.”
UFC Norfolk is set to be an ESPN+ card and will be headlined by the flyweight title fight.
