Henry Cejudo released an exclusive video of his locker room reaction after losing at UFC 288.
On May 6, ‘Triple C’ ended his three-year layoff with a main event title fight against Aljamain Sterling. Despite a valiant effort, Cejudo didn’t do enough, according to the judges, leading to a split decision loss.
Once he left the Octagon, the former two-division UFC champion had cameras rolling while he processed the loss backstage. Cejudo took responsibility for the disappointing outcome by saying:
“I could’ve managed distance a little bit more, I could’ve kicked a little bit more… It’s my fault. I knew what I had to do and I kind of relaxed and I got taken down.”
Sterling’s win at UFC 288 was his third bantamweight title defense. In March 2021, ‘Funk Master’ received severe backlash after becoming the 135-pound king because of a disqualification win against Petr Yan. Since then, the 33-year-old has validated his title reign with wins against Yan in the rematch, TJ Dillashaw, and Cejudo.
Meanwhile, Cejudo has a tough decision to make. The Olympic gold medalist planned to defeat Sterling, defend the title once, and then move up to featherweight for a super-fight against Alexander Volkaovski. Unfortunately for him, things didn’t go as planned.
Henry Cejudo doesn’t want to fight if he’s not the best in the world
Henry Cejudo has repeatedly said that he returned from retirement to continue building his legacy. After losing against Aljamain Sterling, Cejudo will likely have to win a non-title fight before getting back on track. During the same backstage video at UFC 288, ‘Triple C’ opened up about his motivation to keep fighting by saying:
“This is about me being the best in the world. I’m not here to just f*cking start chasing sh*t. You know what I mean? That’s not me. I’ve done everything there is to do. I want it all. If I can’t have it all then I won’t f*cking have it at all. That’s how I am. That’s just how I am. That’s what makes me good too.”
Cejudo had his gloves off after the UFC 288 main event but didn’t announce his retirement. On Monday, ‘Triple C’ went on Twitter to call out Merab Dvalishvili for his next fight. He hopes to have the ranked bantamweight matchup scheduled for August 19 at UFC 292 in Boston, which is the targeted date for Sterling’s next title defense against Sean O’Malley.
This shit is far from over! @danawhite I want @MerabDvalishvil head on a plate! #ufcboston pic.twitter.com/ME9ygzPaJG
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) May 8, 2023
