UFC Champion Brandon Moreno Calls Out Henry Cejudo, 'Triple C' Responds

As Henry Cejudo mulls a second retirement, he has received a challenge from his former protégé Brandon Moreno.

Fernando Quiles Jr. | May 8, 2023

(via Zuffa LLC)

Henry Cejudo has been called out by UFC Flyweight Champion Brandon Moreno, and he's leaving the door open to that bout becoming a reality.

Cejudo is coming off a highly competitive five-round tilt with UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling. "Triple C's" bid to reclaim the 135-pound gold he was never beaten for fell short by a very slim margin. Cejudo lost the title fight via split decision.

After the fight, Cejudo removed his gloves and told Joe Rogan that he's going to mull things over before deciding whether or not he wants to retire again.

It didn't take long for Moreno to suggest a showdown with his former mentor. The 125-pound titleholder took to his Instagram account to urge Cejudo to stick around a little longer.

“Henry Cejudo don’t retire yet, please wait for me, I’m going to win my fight in July and then we can finish business, main event in Mexico City, I go to 135 lbs, f**k belts, just you and me in the Octagon!!”

During the UFC 288 post-fight press conference, Cejudo addressed Moreno's callout.

"I guess now everybody wants a piece of me, huh? I guess we'll talk about it," Cejudo said. "I mean, money talks. If the UFC wants to put it together, there's a nice little budget in for both of us. I ain't doing it in Mexico, though, hell no. We could do it here in America or something like that, but I'm not opposed to any of that."

Cejudo has already made it clear that he has no intention of ever moving back down to the flyweight division. As mentioned in Moreno's quote, weight won't be an issue since he's willing to have the fight at bantamweight. It'll be interesting to see if the UFC is willing to shell out the money Cejudo would ask for.

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Published May 8, 2023

FERNANDO QUILES JR.

Fernando has over a decade of combat sports news writing experience. He currently covers MMA, boxing, and pro wrestling. Fernando joined MMA Knockout as the Lead Writer/Editor when it was founded in 2023.