With Aljamain Sterling wondering if he will be ready to fight in August, Henry Cejudo is letting it be known that he is ready and willing to compete at UFC 292.
Henry Cejudo Ready, Willing To Fight At UFC 292
If Aljamain Sterling is not ready to go at UFC 292 in a planned title defense with Sean O’Malley, Henry Cejudo has a great idea.
Pair Cejudo and O’Malley with the interim title on the line.
UFC officials, including UFC president Dana White, are wondering what has changed with Sterling. The bantamweight champion announced he would defend his belt vs. O’Malley on August 19, but is now saying he might not be ready.
Cejudo, who dropped a split decision to Sterling in his return, took to YouTube to make it known he wants the fight.
“If Aljamain is playing this game that he’s not ready, he needs a little more time, let’s make an interim fight between me and Sean,” Cejudo said (thanks to MMAjunkie for the quotes). “It’s a bigger fight, it’s what the UFC wanted initially. It’s the same reason why they brought me out to chase and beat Aljamain.
“I took a loss. Split decision, I’ll take it on the chin, but there’s still an opportunity there for me. After a three-year layoff, coming back, losing by split decision, being ranked No. 3, that puts me in a really good position.”
Cejudo also commented on the idea of fighting Merab Dvalishvili, another top contender in the division.
“I’m still waiting for Merab,” he said. “But if that fight with Sean happens to open up, I’m 100 percent in, Dana.”
UFC 292 is scheduled for August 19 from the TD Garden in Boston. It will mark the seventh event to take place in Boston, but the first since 2019.
Along with the planned Sterling vs. O’Malley bout, reigning women’s strawweight champion Zhang Weili is scheduled to defend her belt against Amanda Lemos.
No other fights have been announced, but the UFC roster features a series of athletes from the surrounding area who could help fill it out. More bout will likely be announced in the coming weeks.
