Henry Cejudo claims that he, and not UFC champion Deiveson Figueiredo, is the true 'saviour of the flyweights'
Former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo has never shied away from sharing his opinions on fight-related matters.
While ‘The King of Cringe’ is often known for corny posts on social media, he is always quick to remind everyone of his accolades in and out of the UFC octagon.
In a recent Tweet regarding the flyweight division of the UFC, Henry Cejudo stated that he is ‘The true savior of the flyweight division.”
His tweet was in response to the appreciation Deiveson Figueiredo received after a stellar performance at UFC 255 where he finished Alex Perez in the first round via a slick guillotine choke.
Figueiredo's explosive style and brash persona has attracted many fans and has reinvigorated interest in the flyweight division.
Henry Cejudo, however, is not too impressed with the Brazilian.
Revisiting Henry Cejudo’s inconspicuous contributions to the Flyweight division
While the 125-pound division was never shallow as far as the talent pool was concerned, Demetrious Johnson was its undisputed king for a significant time.
DJ was always in contention of being pound-for-pound the best fighter in the UFC and defended his belt on 11 occasions.
However, his subtlety and polite demeanor made him a hard sell as the face of the smaller weight classes. DJ couldn’t sell, but DJ wouldn’t lose either.
Hence, there is no question that Henry Cejudo came in like a breath of fresh air to the featherweight division.
He had the authenticity of a true combat athlete as an Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling - the only one yet in UFC’s history - when he transitioned to MMA and came into the UFC with plenty of hype.
Four wins in the UFC earned him a title shot at Johnson which he would lose via knockout. His next bout against another veteran, Joseph Benavidez, also ended in disappointment.
Cejudo, however, would show his mental toughness as he worked extensively on his striking and made a strong comeback knocking out Wilson Reis and then outworking Sergio Pettis to earn a title shot again.
He showed much improved striking and utilized his superior grappling to finally dislodge DJ from the top of the flyweight mountain.
His social media shenanigans and self-aware cringy humor earned him cult status.
It is safe to say that in a division filled with great ‘fighters’, Cejudo was a ‘personality’.
And while the jury will always be out on whether the flyweight division ever needed a ‘savior’ to begin with, Cejudo’s contributions cannot be overlooked under any circumstances.