Henry Cejudo won’t be making a quick turnaround after all.
Following his spoiled return against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288, the former two-division UFC Champion was hoping to bounce back against Chito Vera at UFC 292. But as the fight game goes, things don’t always go according to plan.
Cejudo’s Withdrawal
Like his former foe Sterling, Cejudo was already worried about making it to the dance on Aug. 19 due to existing injuries. Cejudo decided he’s not going take any more chances on his health as he announced his withdrawal from his next bout on Thursday.
“I’m unfortunately not going to be able to compete on August 19 at UFC [292],” Cejudo wrote on his Instagram. “I got an MRI on my right shoulder that revealed a tear that requires 6-8 weeks of rehab. I stretched it out as far as I could because I love that Chito matchup, but between my shoulder and my baby expected on October 25, 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,” Cejudo added. “When I’m back to 100 percent, 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.”
With this bad news, UFC 292, headlined by Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley, has now dropped to nine fights. It is unsure at this time if Vera will still be shipping off to Boston with a new opponent.
Who Cejudo Wants To Fight Next… And No It’s Not Chito
While Cejudo ‘loves the Chito Vera matchup’, he is moving on from that fight for now. ‘Triple C’ has two names he’d rather fight in his eventual comeback.
“At the end of the day, the guy I still want is the #1 contender, his name’s Merab [Dvalishvili]. So, that’s what I’m looking forward to and who knows, there could be a special matchup between me and Brandon Moreno.”
Watch Henry Cejudo’s full announcement video below.
