"Would be entertaining AF!" - Nina-Marie Daniele plays matchmaker for Henry Cejudo after 'Triple C' confirms he is not retiring
Popular mixed martial arts influencer Nina-Marie Daniele had an interesting matchup suggestion for former bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo, who endured a difficult loss at the hands of Merab Dvalisvhili in his last outing.
At UFC 298, the No.1 bantamweight contender dominated Cejudo and mauled him for the better part of their three-round bout. However, contrary to expectations, Cejudo did not announce his retirement right after the fight despite clearly outlining his intentions in the lead-up to the fight.
In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Cejudo declared that he was not leaving the sport and reflected upon his change of mind. He said:
“The show goes on! I am not effing – I am not f*****g leaving. Guys, yeah. Saturday night, it took me a minute. Was it all or nothing for me, yeah. And I meant it. Or did I? Or did I really? But have I truly been a hypocrite to myself? You know the last time I can remember, the last time that I lost two times in a row, I lost to Demetrious Johnson and then I lost to Joseph Benavidez, I went out and I f*****g created one of the biggest rampages in UFC history.”
Check out Henry Cejudo's comments below:
Daniele commented on his Instagram post and suggested Cory Sandhagen as his next opponent, stating that it would make for great viewing. She wrote:
"Cejudo vs Sandhagen would be entertaining AF!"
Check out Nina-Marie Daniele's comment on Instagram in the screenshot below:
Analyzing Nina-Marie Daniele's matchup suggestion: Henry Cejudo vs Cory Sandhagen
Cory Sandhagen leapfrogged Henry Cejudo in the latest divisional rankings to No.3 at bantamweight. Meanwhile, 'Triple C' dropped down to No.6 in the rankings after his second straight loss.
Sandhagen has won his last three fights against formidable opponents like challenger Marlon Vera, Rob Font, and Song Yadong. His last loss came in 2021 in an interim title bout against former champion Petr Yan.
Nina-Marie Daniele's suggestion could pit the two veterans against each other and judging by Cejudo's confidence the last time he was in such a situation, it could be an interesting bout.
Cejudo mentioned on his YouTube video that when he last lost two straight fights against Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez, he went on to build a six-fight win streak. The streak included avenging his loss against Johnson and four title fights across two divisions.
Check out Henry Cejudo's comments below (1:11):