WATCH: Demetrious Johnson offers a preview of his training with Henry Cejudo to prepare for their upcoming fights
Rivals-turned-friends Henry Cejudo and ONE flyweight world champ Demetrious Johnson have been working a lot together in preparation for their upcoming fights. Both fighters are fighting on the Cinco de Mayo weekend in what could be two of the most important bouts of their careers.
Johnson will defend his throne against Adriano Moraes in the first trilogy bout of his career at ONE Fight Night 10 on May 5. Cejudo, on his end, has been announced to come out of retirement to challenge Aljamain Sterling for the UFC bantamweight belt at UFC 288.
In a video released by Demetrious Johnson on his Instagram, we can see the two bona fide MMA legends going at it in a friendly spar. Though not going 100%, we can see the technical prowess of the two wrestling-based fighters:
"Might & @henry_cejudo getting ready for our may fights full video on youtube channel!! shout out to talented @mwonsover for capturing the footage!! #passion #training #mma"
Demetrious Johnson is largely considered one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, while Cejudo has proven to be one of the best cerebral minds in the game. Since his retirement in 2020, ‘Triple C’ has taken the coaching mantle and cornered UFC fighters like Zhang Weili and Deiveson Figueiredo. The latter Cejudo helped win the UFC flyweight belt.
Having these two icons of the sport put their heads together will surely be a recipe for gold in the future.
The rivalry between Henry Cejudo and Demetrious Johnson was one for the ages
The intense two-fight series between Demetrious Johnson and Henry Cejudo for the UFC flyweight title was arguably the first real rivalry in the division's history. When Cejudo debuted in the UFC, 'Triple C' was seen as the first real threat to Johnson's dominant reign at flyweight.
Cejudo was the youngest American gold medalist in wrestling at the time and had a respectable 6-0 pro record. By the time 'The Messenger' debuted in the UFC, Johnson had already defended his belt five times and boasted a record of 21-2-1.
Demetrious Johnson defeats Henry Cejudo by 1st-round TKO, his 2nd 1st-round finish in UFC and 9th of his career. https://t.co/gVPjtsotj1
After putting together three solid wins in the promotion, Cejudo got his first crack at 'Mighty Mouse' for the title at UFC 197. Johnson did some quick work on 'Triple C' and finished him with knees to the body inside one round. Cejudo was deemed to have been pushed too soon into title contention.
Fast-forward two years later and the two met again at UFC 277. This time, Cejudo learned from his past mistakes and narrowly beat Johnson via split decision. 'Triple C' went on to defend his belt once and moved up to bantamweight to become a two-division world champ.
Demetrious Johnson went on to move to ONE Championship, eventually winning the organization's ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix and later, the division’s world title. Watch 'Mighty Mouse' defend the ONE flyweight world championship in the biggest rubber match in ONE Championship history at ONE Fight Night 10.