Ex-UFC Champion Henry Cejudo's Rant On Tom Aspinall Sparks Debate Among Fighters
Former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo has sparked a debate following Tom Aspinall's interim UFC Heavyweight Championship win.
Aspinall starched Sergei Pavlovich in the first round of their interim title fight at UFC 295. It was a short-notice fight, as Jon Jones had to pull out of his planned heavyweight title defense against Stipe Miocic. After the victory, Aspinall flopped down to the mat and was in tears.
The post-fight emotions did not sit well with Henry Cejudo.
Taking to his YouTube channel, Cejudo scolded Tom Aspinall for celebrating his victory because he only won interim gold.
"Watching Tom Aspinall win the interim world title, he's already celebrating," Cejudo said. "I mean it's an interim, Tom. Save those tears when you actually win the real belt. Sometimes when I see people like that, that they just get too emotional after an interim belt, like yeah, you got a trophy but it's like they might as well dip that thing in silver or bronze because it's not the real thing. I mean that with all due respect."
UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping and active light heavyweight Anthony Smith caught wind of Cejudo's take on Aspinall's celebration.
Bisping took to the "Believe You Me" podcast and said that while he gets Cejudo's high standards, having won Olympic gold and UFC titles in two weight classes, he thinks Aspinall had the right to feel emotional.
"He still flew out to New York City, Madison Square Garden on two-and-a-half weeks' notice with a bad back, with one of the scariest people in all of the sport and finished him in 69 seconds," Bisping said. "The relief in a situation like that, the pressure you are feeling in a moment like that and then for it to be done and to be over, of course, because that's the dream."
Smith's assessment was far more blunt, putting Cejudo on blast for suggesting Aspinall shouldn't have been emotional.
"That is a world title around his waist, so if he wants to cry about it go f*** yourself if you don't like it," Smith said. "That is a life achievement that 99.9 percent of the population walking this planet will never ever touch. 99.9 percent of fighters won't even be in a position to contend for one. So, if he wants to cry let the man cry."
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