Triple C is no more.
MMA Fighting has confirmed that Henry Cejudo has been stripped of the Flyweight title. Top contenders Joseph Benavidez and Deiveson Figueiredo will fight for the vacant belt at UFC Norfolk.
Since beating Demetrious Johnson for the championship at UFC 227, Cejudo defended the belt only once against T.J. Dillashaw, as the 32-year-old shocked the MMA community by also winning the UFC Bantamweight title at UFC 238.
Cejudo was calling out nearly every bantamweight for a fight; however, Dana White made it clear that Cejudo would be defending the Flyweight title next against the only other man who’s defeated him, Joseph Benavidez.
That fight didn’t seem to appeal too much to the California native, who was called out for holding up the Flyweight division due to not making a decision on what his next move will be. Recently, the UFC President stated that Cejudo was looking to fight Jose Aldo, and White didn’t hate the idea of both fighters clashing inside the ring.
However, that would be for the Bantamweight title and now, Joseph Benavidez and Deiveson Figueiredo will step into the octagon to get a chance at being on top of the mountain for the 125-pound division. Cejudo has made a statement to
MMA Junkie on the title situation, claiming that he decided to relinquish the belt to these "so-called flyweight kingpins":
I am not being stripped,” Cejudo told MMA Junkie.
“I am relinquishing my title. … ‘Triple C’ is relinquishing his title to these wannabe, so-called flyweight kingpins. That’s what’s going on. I’m relinquishing my belt. Being stripped is not what I’m doing. I’m relinquishing, and you can tell them all to bend the knee.”
UFC Norfolk takes place Feb. 29 at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Va., and streams on ESPN+.