Henry Cejudo eagerly watched the UFC Fight Night 233 main event between Song Yadong and Chris Gutiérrez. The former division champion has plans to reclaim the title after his setback at UFC 288 against Aljamain Sterling.
Cejudo, an Olympic gold medalist, stands as one of the most accomplished combat sports athletes of all time. Only Alex Pereira, a two-division champion in kickboxing and MMA, comes close to Cejudo in terms of achievements.
Henry Cejudo claims Song Yadong exposed Chris Gutierrez
Song Yadong won a dominant unanimous decision victory over Chris Gutiérrez in the main event of UFC Fight Night 233. Yadong exploited Gutiérrez’s wrestling deficiency to earn a 50-44 and 2×50-45 scorecards in the judge’s scorecard. Yadong, the 26-year-old, is the UFC’s future for their plans to capture the Chinese market.
Henry Cejudo, who is rumored to face off with Merab Dvalishvili for a number one contender fight at UFC 299, was keeping a keen eye on the fight between Yadong and Gutiérrez.
“Everybody watching this is going to take him down from now on. Fighters expose other fighters,” tweeted Cejudo on X, formerly Twitter. Cejudo’s remark is about the tactic Yadong used.
Everybody watching this is going to take him down from now on. Fighters expose other fighters.
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) December 10, 2023
After having difficulty with the movement and footwork of Gutiérrez, Yadong proceeded to use his wrestling to full effect to demoralize Gutiérrez. The victory does not seem to push Yadong further up from his 7th-ranked spot as Gutiérrez was ranked 15th in the division.
Yan was not impressed by the victory of the Chinese fighter and even tweeted about his displeasure. Nevertheless, Yadong aims to fight Yan at UFC 299 in Miami which is presumed to be headlined by Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera.
Henry Cejudo sheds light on championship fighters’ levels
‘Triple C’ did not hold back his criticism of Chris Gutiérrez in his tweets on X. Cejudo, known for his elite competitive nature, was not impressed by the caliber of Gutiérrez. “Championship fighters are different. Five rounds in comparison to three is a whole Nother league. Many fighters look good in three but championship rounds are different. #UFCVegas83,” tweeted Cejudo.
Gutiérrez did not perform well in the 4th and 5th rounds of the bout, validating Cejudo’s assessment. Gutiérrez had a strong showing in the first three rounds before entering the championship rounds. Cejudo, drawing from his experience in five-round title bouts with Demetrious Johnson and Aljamain Sterling, accurately analyzed Gutiérrez’s performance.
Championship fighters are different. Five rounds in comparison to three is a whole Nother league. Many fighters look good in three but championship rounds are different. #UFCVegas83
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) December 10, 2023
Johnson and Sterling are the most accomplished champions in the flyweight and bantamweight divisions, respectively. Both fights ended in a split decision, with Cejudo winning against Johnson and losing against Sterling.
Cejudo, known for his controversial opinion on matters, recently came under heat for saying that the interim title of Tom Aspinall does not hold any value as Jon Jones is the undisputed champion. Moreover, he also provided his take on the recent controversy surrounding Ian Garry’s married life.
Do you think Henry Cejudo will become champion again? Leave your prediction below
