Demetrious Johnson explains why Henry Cejudo had to create 'Cringe A** Henry' persona
Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson explained why two-division champion Henry Cejudo felt that it was necessary to create his 'cringe' persona.
Appearing on Lucas Grandsire's YouTube show, Demetrious Johnson shared that he had nothing to do with Henry Cejudo's change in character:
"No, I didn’t tell him to do that. What’s that supposed to mean? How is that my fault? That’s like me saying it’s my fault that…I didn’t do anything. That’s like saying I spawned that cringe."
Johnson also added that the fans were to blame for Cejudo's 'King of Cringe' persona, saying that Cejudo had to 'make an a**' of himself' so that he could sell pay-per-views:
"No, that’s the people’s fault. You would not want to buy the man’s pay-per-views so he could make some more money, so now he has to make an a** of himself to get that out."
Cejudo reacted to Johnson's comments through Twitter, saying that he had to do 'whatever it takes' to save the flyweight division:
"I took the opportunity with the flyweight division's head on the chopping block to doing whatever it takes to save it. And I did! Some things are just bigger than us. Thanks again, @mighty, we did it together, precious. P.S. Cringe is the new cool."
Demetrious Johnson and Henry Cejudo have some history with each other. The two 125-pound legends faced off twice in their UFC careers, both times for the UFC flyweight championship.
The two flyweight stars have both since moved on from the UFC. Demetrious Johnson was traded over to ONE Championship back in 2019, while Henry Cejudo announced his retirement from MMA back in May of 2020.
Looking back at Demetrious Johnson and Henry Cejudo's rivalry in the UFC
Demetrious Johnson and Henry Cejudo will go down in mixed martial arts history as two of the best to ever compete in the flyweight division. Fortunately for fight fans, they were able to see the two future hall-of-famers face off in the prime of their careers.
Let's take a look back at the the two times that Demetrious Johnson and Henry Cejudo faced off inside the octagon:
Demetrious Johnson vs. Henry Cejudo (UFC 197 - 26 April 2016)
By this time, Johnson was already one of the most dominant champions in the UFC. Johnson won the inaugural UFC flyweight championship in 2012 and defended it seven times leading up to his first fight against Cejudo.
Cejudo was then an undefeated prospect with ten straight wins, four coming in the UFC. Johnson proved to be the better fighter that night, easily defeating Cejudo by first-round TKO.
Henry Cejudo vs. Demetrious Johnson 2 (UFC 227 - 4 August 2018)
A little over two years later, Johnson and Cejudo would face off again, this time in a more tightly-contested bout.
A much-improved Cejudo took the fight to Johnson and walked away with a split decision victory, dethroning the long-time 125-pound titleholder.
It would mark Johnson's final fight in the UFC. Cejudo, meanwhile, would go on to capture the UFC bantamweight championship as well, and become a two-division UFC world champion. Cejudo retired from MMA in May of 2020.