SEATTLE – Henry Cejudo believes he’s in a dire position heading into UFC Fight Night 252. Yet, at the same time, he also embraces being an underdog against Song Yadong.
Cejudo (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC), a former two-division UFC champion, meets a hungry contender in Song (21-8-1 MMA, 10-3-1 UFC) in the main event at Climate Pledge Arena. It’s a rare headliner in which both fighters are coming off losses, but “Triple C” is confident he will get the job done against a much younger competitor.
“I’m 11 years his elder,” Cejudo told reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “He’s an explosive fighter, really good at countering. He’s a guy that could shut your lights off with one punch. But I think the same reason why his greatest gift is also his worst enemy, too. That gas tank could completely go to straight to ‘E.’
“I love the fact they’re giving me a younger fighter. I love the fact that my back is against the wall. There’s a chip on my shoulder. I love the fact that I’m an underdog because these are the moments where I shine.”
Cejudo, 38, retired from fighting as champion immediately after a victory over Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 in May 2020. After taking some time to himself and start a family, the competitive itch brought the Olympian wrestler back to MMA.
However, his return hasn’t been successful. He lost both fights since returning, although to his credit, the competition couldn’t get any tougher. Former champ Aljamain Sterling eked out a split decision at UFC 288 and his teammate and current champion Merab Dvalishvili won a dominant unanimous decision at UFC 298.
Cejudo has only lost back-to-back fights once in his career, and rebounded from that by winning six consecutive fights, a run that included capturing the flyweight and bantamweight titles. As he looks to pick up his first win since coming out of retirement, Cejudo says he’s still looking to make a championship push, potentially at flyweight.
“I could be going back down,” Cejudo said. “With a victory here, I don’t think there’s anybody at flyweight that could sell the division. I think there’s too many dry people at that weight division.
“I feel like what I’ve done in combat sports, particularly the flyweights, saving that division, back in 2020, there could be a resurrection there. … First things first: get through Song, get through the dong, and do it that way.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 252.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Fight Night 252 headliner Henry Cejudo embracing underdog status vs. Song Yadong
