Henry Cejudo has a knack for leaving an impression every time he competes, whether on the wrestling mat or inside the Octagon. He holds the rare distinction of being the only athlete to claim both an Olympic gold medal and a UFC championship, a feat that cements his legacy as one of the sport’s greatest competitors. Beyond that, the 38-year-old has also etched his name into UFC history as one of the select few to achieve ‘champ-champ’ status, capturing titles in multiple weight classes and further solidifying his place among the all-time greats. However, he failed to impress the crowd during his appearance at the UFC Mexico City event, which took place at the Arena CDMX.
The former dual champion is American by birth but carries the fire of his Mexican ancestry. But it seems ‘Triple C’s comments two years back at an event for Republican candidate Kari Lake might have lost him some fans. In a show of support for Arizona’s potential governor candidate, Henry Cejudo was invited to take the stage as a guest speaker at an event titled “Friday Night Fight Night with Kari Lake.” Cejudo during that event said, “My message today, guys – as a Latino-American – because first and foremost I’m American… I was born in this country. I was raised in this country. You guys will me – as much as I love my culture – you guys will never see me with a Mexican flag,”.
The people of Mexico now took time to return some favor to the 38-year-old. As soon as Cejudo was shown on the giant screen, he was not greeted by applause but rather by a series of boos from the crowd. Cejudo made the gesture of heartbreak, showing his disappointment but his Instagram posts depict a different picture. In one of his posts, he wrote the caption, “Had a great time in Mexico City. Back to my home and native land #ProudAmerican #UFCMexicoCity. In another one, he took a slight dig at the fans and shared a picture with the legendary Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Gonzalez.
He captioned the post as, “First I got booed, then I got called to take a photo with the legendary @jcchavez. What an honor. Thank you!!! #UFC Mexico City.” The former UFC dual champion is currently at a completely different stage of his career. He recently took on Son Yadong at UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs Yadong. Not only did he come up short against Song Yadong, but he also left the fight with an eye injury. Reports later confirmed that he had sustained corneal abrasions and was dealing with diplopia during the bout, adding yet another layer of adversity to his defeat. However, during a recent conversation on his ‘Pound 4 Pound’ podcast, he shared some more details about the losses he faced.
Henry Cejudo opens up on the problems he faced after his last loss
On a recent episode of the Pound4Pound podcast, Kamaru Usman shared his thoughts on the Yadong vs. Cejudo fight. The former welterweight champion argued that the referee should have at least issued a warning to the Chinese fighter about keeping his hands under control. However, according to ‘Triple C’ himself, referee Jason Herzog didn’t even acknowledge the eye poke from ‘Kung Fu Kid.’ Unsurprisingly, Cejudo felt the foul was significant enough to warrant a point deduction. However, the former dual champion faced massive repercussions for that one mistake.
While speaking to Usman, the 38-year-old said, “That just cost me $150K, dude. I got kids, bro. That is the prize money for me.” When you’re a father of two, every dollar counts, doesn’t it? However, this situation also came with an important realization for the former dual champion. Cejudo felt he needed to put in extra effort to make sure he came out on top in his last fight. He further added, “And I apologize to everybody who I’ve ever doubted. It’s not until it happens to you, man, you’re just like f—, dude, maybe it was time for me to eat some humble pie here, man.” However, as far as Cejudo is concerned, he is trying his best to get himself a rematch with the Chinese fighter. But it seems UFC CEO Dana White doesn’t like that idea.
Should Henry Cejudo get the rematch after his controversial loss? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
The post “First I Got Booed” – Henry Cejudo Breaks Silence on Fans Turning on Him at UFC Mexico City appeared first on EssentiallySports.
