Henry Cejudo’s dream Olympic anniversary derailed by injury
The former dual-weight champion was due to face Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera on 19 August – the 15th anniversary of his Olympic gold-medal win
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Henry Cejudo’s dream of fighting on the anniversary of his Olympic gold-medal win has been derailed by injury, the ex-UFC champion has said.
Cejudo was due to face Marlon “Chito Vera” at a UFC Fight Night on 19 August – the 15th anniversary of his wrestling triumph for the United States at the Beijing Games.
However, a shoulder injury will prevent Cejudo, 36, from competing this summer, denying him the chance to bounce back from a recent loss.
Cejudo, one of just four dual-weight champions in UFC history, retired from mixed martial arts in 2020 but returned in May, losing to bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling on points.
“Unfortunately due to my right shoulder, I won’t be able to fight,” Cejudo said on Instagram on Thursday (29 June). “I’ve already torn my left shoulder, where I was out for about a year. I don’t want it to tear further than what it already is.
Conor McGregor doubles down on Ultimate Fighter criticism as Michael Chandler’s team dominate
Tyson Fury’s ‘game-changing’ return to be announced in ‘next week or so’, Frank Warren says
Elon Musk vs Mark Zuckerberg: Who would win a fight between tech titans?
Strickland vs Magomedov live stream: How to watch UFC Fight Night online and on TV this weekend
“The cat’s out the bag. It’s actually a 50 per cent tear. I stretched it out to as much as I possibly could, because I love that Chito Vera match-up, but between my shoulder and my baby expected on 25 October, it’s the best decision for me and my family to not fight in August.
“Nothing changes with my future goals. I want my title back. When I’m back to 100 per cent, you’ll see me in the Octagon again. But until then, I need to heal. I hope the UFC can find a replacement to fight Chito, so he could stay on the card. I would’ve loved to fight him in Boston on the 15-year anniversary of my gold medal. But I’ll be back.”
Cejudo won the UFC flyweight title in 2018 and claimed the bantamweight belt in 2019. He retained each title once and vacated both prior to retiring in 2020.
In May, he returned to MMA and attempted to reclaim the bantamweight title by challenging Sterling, who beat Cejudo via split decision.
Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments