Henry Cejudo: I Need To Know What’s Happening With My Fight ‘Today’

It wasn’t long after UFC president Dana White announced that UFC 249 and all upcoming events had been postponed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, that he declared that the UFC will return on May 9th. Originally, UFC 250 was going to take place on this date in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and feature Henry Cejudo vs Jose Aldo in the main event for the UFC bantamweight title.

However, when the promotion planned to move UFC 250 from Brazil to the US, visa issues meant that two time bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz was drafted in on short notice to replace Aldo.

After originally stating that the UFC would return next month on his Fight Island, Dana yesterday said that the promotion will begin running events from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, next month. With the changing of opponents and uncertainty with locations, Cejudo insisted that he needs some clarity.

Speaking to ESPN‘s Brett Okamotto (as transcribed by MMA Mania) Cejudo said he needs to know what is happening with his fight with Cruz, ‘today’.

“I think we need to have a conversation with Dana and everybody there, because you don’t want to train and have them give you a certain date, and then you’re not peaking at the right time. My training is very methodical. Everything I do has to be precise, to make sure I’m 100 percent. You can’t surprise me before, two weeks.

”I need to know today, I don’t have time to waste if this is going to happen. The UFC has postponed a lot of things and people spend their hard-earned money on camps, training partners, strength and conditioning coaches. I imagine whether we fight or not the UFC will compensate a lot of guys who were under contract and had fights.”

To add more uncertainty for Cejudo, ‘Triple C’ has question marks over whether Cruz will make the walk to the Octagon on May 9th, having had a long history of pulling out of fights injured.

“I thought about it, with Dominick, he’s unpredictable. He’s too brittle. I’m afraid to sign a contract with him because I’m afraid he won’t show up. Frankie Edgar, he was one of the first people I called out. That’s a fight that’s always kind of given me that appetite for him. He cut to 135 [pounds], but he’s a former champion at 155. That really intrigues me.”

It’s a difficult time for all fighters right now, especially those who tentatively have fights booked in the upcoming months. And for the frustrated Cejudo, he just wants to know if he’s definitely fighting or not.

“I get what Dana is trying to do for the fighters’ sake, but it’s kind of like, ‘Here, want some pizza? Nope. Want some candy? Nope. We’re professionals. We should be able to know. That’s all I’m saying.”

Do you think the UFC’s card on May 9th, featuring Henry Cejudo vs Dominick Cruz, will go ahead as planned?


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