Henry Cejudo proposes interim title fight with Sean O'Malley at UFC 292
May 27, 2023
Boston [US], May 27 : UFC's former bantamweight and flyweight champion Henry Cejudo has suggested an interim title (bantamweight) fight against UFC's rising star Sean O'Malley at UFC 292.
O'Malley is booked to fight for the Bantamweight title against champion Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 in August.
However, Sterling has hinted that he might not be ready for the fight in August. This has led Cejudo to propose the idea of his interim title fight with O'Malley.
Cejudo took to his official YouTube channel to announce that he is ready to jump back into title contention.
Cejudo had recently failed at an attempt to grab the Bantamweight title against Sterling at UFC 288. The former two-division champion returned to action after announcing his retirement from MMA in May 2020.
Following his loss, Cejudo was initially asked for a fight with Sterling's teammate and friend as well as the top Bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili. But after the champion expressed that he might not be ready for the fight at UFC 292, Cejudo took to his official YouTube channel and floated the idea of an interim fight with O'Malley.
"If Aljamain Sterling is playing this game that he is not ready, he needs a little more time, let us make an interim fight between me and Sean O'Malley, It is a bigger fight, it is what the UFC wanted initially. It is the same reason why they brought me out to chase and beat Aljamain Sterling."
"Yeah, OK, I took a loss(against Sterling). Split decision, I will take it on the chin, but there is still an opportunity there for me. After a three-year layoff, coming back, losing by split decision, being ranked now No. 3, that puts me in a really good position. I wanted Merab, and I am still willing to wait for Merab. But if that fight with Sean O'Malley happens to open up, I am 100 per cent in, Dana White (UFC President)." Cejudo said on his YouTube channel.
Cejudo admitted that he usually does not jump right back in a title fight after a loss and stated that he is even ready to weight-in as a backup fighter at UFC 292.
"Typically, I would not be the type of guy that would do things like that, but right now I do not have the gold around my waist, So, if the UFC does want to have me as a backup, yeah. I have got to talk to Ali (Cejudo's Manager), and I do want to be compensated to be the backup fighter."
