Newark, NJ — While returning ex-double champ Henry Cejudo isn’t looking past Aljamain Sterling, who he will face for his old 135lb title at UFC 288 this Saturday, “Triple C” simply sees him as a tune-up fight.
Cejudo (16-2) attended his first media day in years on Wednesday, and had plenty to say to media outlets in attendance, including Cageside Press.
The former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champ, not to mention Olympic gold medal wrestler, spoke on the motivation for his return, saying it came about “because it’s easy money,” before adding that “I watched these guys fight after coaching some of the best guys in the world. [Jon] Jones, Demetrious Johnson, Zhang Weili, Deiveson Figueiredo, Jiri Prochazka. I started to understand my talent a little bit more. And I know there is a window, and I know there is a gap where I do have to say goodbye. I’m 36-years old, or 36-years young, and I feel good. I feel really good.”
“I love the challenge. I love that people are going to doubt me. And I think that’s another reason that I’m back too. I love being the underdog, like I’ve been my whole life, and I think that’s why,” Cejudo continued, before taking a shot at the current bantamweight champ. “And I personally feel that Aljamain just sucks.”
Cejudo also made it perfectly clear on Wednesday that even if he had never returned to action after retiring in 2020, he is happy with how his career played out. “I’ve done everything I set out to do, literally on a piece of paper, plus one: winning a second UFC belt. I can retire now and be alright,” said Cejudo. “But I love the fact that this fight could put me in a category where it’s just like, you may not like the persona, you may not like my personality, you may not like the cringe, but you will definitely respect me and put me on gold mountain. After a three-year retirement, what Jon Jones has done, what [Georges] St-Pierre has done, that’s Mount Olympus.”
Cejudo underscored more than once during his UFC 288 media day appearance, which ran past the half-hour mark, that he was not overlooking Sterling. He is looking ahead, however, and admits that Sean O’Malley is next, before a potential move to featherweight against Alexander Volkanovski.
“Of course. He’s next. He’s next. I wouldn’t mind two tune-ups before I go against Volkanovski. Sean O’Malley, he’s that dirty Q-tip, he’s a privileged brat, I think we all know that, and I’m going to hurt him. But first thing’s first, I know [Sterling]’s confident but I know deep down inside he respects me — a little too much.”
Cejudo believes he’ll show Sterling what he’s made of, and then it’s on to the “Sugar Show.”
“Sean O’Malley is next, and I like that fight. I love the fact that he’s tall, I love the fact that he’s popular, and I’m going to hurt that dude.”
Though he believes coming back and reclaiming a title, much like Jones and GSP have done, would put him at the top of the mountain in terms of greats, becoming the GOAT has never been part of Cejudo’s plan. It’s just something he’s flirted with throughout his career, and is something he credits to having a plan in the first place.
“Even in wrestling, my goal was never to become the greatest of all time. My goal was just to become Olympic champion,” said Cejudo. “But I think the biggest thing is, I had a plan. I knew that before I started fighting, I wanted to make sure I had hands. I wanted to make sure I had some amateur boxing in there. And I’ll tell you what, amateur boxing is one of the hardest things you’ll do in sports.”
Watch the full UFC 288 media day appearance by Henry Cejudo above.
