Henry Cejudo warns Merab Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling of his wrestling pedigree
Henry Cejudo appears to be next in line to challenge Aljamain Sterling for his bantamweight title. The former double champ recently claimed that Sterling and his training partner, No.3-ranked bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili, would not be able to deal with his wrestling.
After claiming that Dvalishvili would expose No.1-ranked bantamweight Sean O'Malley, Cejudo claimed:
"I'm Merab [Dvalishvili] times ten. My wrestling pedigree is so much better than him. Even a guy like Merab, he's a danger to everybody else, but me. A guy like Merab would be the easiest fight for me, and I mean that, and I've told him that actually in Vegas... I said, 'hey, man, I think if I was you, I'd stay away from a guy like me.'
Cejudo continued:
"I'm a better athlete, I got better hands, I can submit, I can do a lot of things, and my wrestling is just that much better... You go up against a guy that knows how to wrestle, and has been doing that since he was a kid, like myself, and doing it at the highest levels, you're in trouble. The same reason why Aljamain Sterling doesn't want to fight me."
While the bout between Sterling and Cejudo is yet to be announced, all signs point towards the two meeting in 2023. The bantamweight champion has hinted that he may move up after the fight to give Dvalishvili, his close friend, a chance to capture the title.
Watch Henry Cejudo's comments on Merab Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling below (starting at the 8:05 mark):
Sean O'Malley backs Aljamain Sterling over Henry Cejudo
Sean O'Malley appeared in line to be Aljamain Sterling's next title defense, however, former double champ Henry Cejudo coming out of retirement has halted those plans. As things stand, it appears that Sterling will face Cejudo while O'Malley will face the winner. The No.1-ranked bantamweight weighed in on the potential matchup, backing the current champion.
During an appearance on former middleweight champion Michael Bisping's podcast, O'Malley stated:
"To be honest, I think Aljo probably submits Henry. Who knows how hard Henry's been training? You know, these last few years he had a baby. He clearly wasn't in good shape. Every time you saw him at the fights he looked fat and drunk, so I don't know. I think Aljo probably chokes him, I don't know what's taken so long for them to book that fight."
While Cejudo has never been submitted, it has been nearly three years since he walked away from the sport and vacated the bantamweight title. It remains to be seen if the former double champ will perform at the same level or if the time away has taken a toll on his skills.
Watch Sean O'Malley share his prediction for the rumored bantamweight fight between Henry Cejudo and Aljamain Sterling below (starting at the 2:20 mark):