HENRY CEJUDO PROCLAIMED he was the “greatest combat athlete of all time” after becoming the UFC’s new bantamweight champion, adding the 135lbs strap to his flyweight belt and securing double-champion status with the promotion at UFC 238.
Having beaten TJ Dillashaw in just 32 seconds to defend his 125lbs belt in January, the 32-year-old went up in weight class and finished Marlon Moraes in the third round to claim the vacant title.
Cejudo secured the finish following series of punches and elbows and becomes only the fourth fighter in UFC history to hold two belts in two different weight divisions concurrently – Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier and Amanda Nunes the only others to achieve the feat.
“I’m not champ-champ ladies and gentlemen,” he told UFC commentator Joe Rogan after the fight.
My name is ‘Triple C’ – Olympic champion, flyweight champion and now bantamweight champion. I am the greatest combat athlete of all time. I just stole the title for the best pound-for-pound fighter too.”
‘The Messenger’ adds his latest victory to a string of illustrious wins with the promotion – dethroning long-time flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson in 2018, as well as his lightning-quick finish over Dillashaw, considered one of the greatest bantamweights of all time.
In the night’s other title fight and co-main event, Valentina Shevchenko retained her flyweight title after a show-reel head-kick finish against underdog, Jessica Eye.
The 31-year-old needed just 26 seconds of the second round to stop her opponent and left Eye requiring immediate medical attention after connecting with a brutal left kick to the head.
In perhaps the most hotly anticipated fights of the year, Tony Ferguson emerged victorious on his return to the Octagon after stopping Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in the second round.
‘The People’s Main Event’ as it had been dubbed, featured two of the lightweight division’s most exciting strikers.
After a bruising contest, ‘El Cucuy’ was awarded the victory after doctors stopped the fight due to cuts on Cerrone’s face and massive swelling had occurred, almost completely shutting his right eye.
A successful return to the division, Ferguson celebrated his 12th consecutive win – a streak stretching back as far as 2012 and including wins over the likes of Edson Barboza, former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos, Kevin Lee and Anthony Pettis.
The win also leaves him in essentially a number one contender spot in the 155lbs division with Dustin Poirier (interim champion) and Khabib Nurmagomedov (champion) set for their unification fight in September.
Ferguson is likely to be next in line to face the winner of their UFC 242 clash in Abu Dhabi.
UFC 238 Results
- Henry Cejudo def. Marlon Moraes via TKO – R3
- Valentina Shevchenko def. Jessica Eye via knockout – R2
- Tony Ferguson def. Donald Cerrone via TKO (cut) – R2
- Petr Yan def. Jimmie Rivera via unanimous decision
- Blagoy Ivanov def. Tai Tuivasa via unanimous decision
- Tatiana Suarez def. Nina Ansaroff via unanimous decision
- Aljamain Sterling def. Pedro Munhoz via unanimous decision
- Alexa Grasso def. Karolina Kowalkiewicz via unanimous decision
- Calvin Kattar def. Ricardo Lamas via TKO – R1
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