Former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo will be the bantamweight champion by the end of this year, according to mixed martial arts veteran Matt Brown.
“Triple C” announced last year that he would be returning to the sport after retiring in May 2020. His decision to walk away from MMA resulted in his vacating the 135-pound strap. But, he’s made it clear that he fully intends on winning it back.
In his crosshairs sits current bantamweight king Aljamain Sterling and should Cejudo receive an immediate title fight against “Funk Master,” Brown is picking Triple C to get the job done.
“I wasn’t sure that fight was going to happen,” Brown said on MMA Fighting’s “The Fighter vs. The Writer.” “You hear Cejudo talking all the time. He’s always saying some s*** about coming back or fighting this guy. He likes to talk. So I didn’t think that fight was going to happen, so I would certainly put him down as the biggest threat [at bantamweight]”
Cejudo’s Olympic-level wrestling coupled with his boxing is enough to “soundly” beat Sterling, Brown said.
“I think [Cejudo’s] got tremendous boxing, amazing wrestling,” Brown said. “I don’t think Aljamain’s going to be able to get him down. I think he’s just got better boxing, better standup. He’s very disciplined with his standup. He stays tight and strong.
“I’m going to go with Cejudo on that. I think he beats him relatively easily. Cejudo, I’m picking very soundly to win that fight [against Sterling].”
Brown Said Cejudo Would ‘Destroy’ Sean O’Malley, Picked Cejudo to Be Champion By the End of 2023
While appearing on the LFA 149 broadcast last weekend, Cejudo said that the UFC was planning to schedule a bout between him and Sterling for UFC 285 on March 4, MMA Junkie reported.
“It’s up to him to cut some of that fat that he has and stay away from that damn Hennessy, but he’s next,” Cejudo said per the outlet.
Cejudo is currently unranked due to his UFC hiatus, but with the No. 1-ranked contender, “Sugar” Sean O’Malley, saying on multiple occasions that he doesn’t want to fight until the summer, it appears to be the perfect timing for Triple C to battle for his old belt.
Well, whether Cejudo fights Sterling or O’Malley, Brown sees Triple C leaving the Octagon as the victor.
“If we’re talking about champion at the end of the year, I’m going to go with Cejudo,” Brown said. “He beats Aljamain and he destroys Sean O’Malley.”
Brown Praised the Bantamweight Division as a Whole
“There’s so much talent in this division,” Brown said about bantamweight. “You could look at the top 25 guys and there’s guys that could come up and make a splash. What a great division.”
“The Immortal” isn’t the only one in the MMA community who views 135 pounds in this light. Many point to the UFC’s bantamweight division as the deepest in the sport with it boasting names such as Petr Yan, Merab Dvalishvili, Marlon Vera and Cory Sandhagen.
The division’s top 15 is filled with veterans like former UFC champ Dominick Cruz and Pedro Munhoz, as well as up-and-coming forces like Umar Nurmagomeov and Adrian Yanez.
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Henry Cejudo Backed By UFC Veteran: ‘The Biggest Threat’