Henry Cejudo initially ended his UFC run in May of 2020. That night before the Mother’s Day holiday inside the United States of America, Cejudo made the last walk to the fabled Octagon. Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, an empty VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, FL served as the setting for the restructured UFC 249.
If you recall, UFC 249 was planned for April of 2020 inside Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the home arena of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, but due to the pandemic and its associated restrictions, the show was scrubbed even after plans were made to hold the card in Lemoore, CA at Tachi Palace. ESPN, the UFC’s then-current United States media rightsholder, requested the original April 18, 2020 date be postponed due to virus concerns.
On the second weekend of May that year, UFC 249 was back on, and with it was the fight matching Henry Cejudo with Dominick Cruz in the co-main event. At stake: Cejudo’s UFC Bantamweight Championship. Cruz wasn’t the original opponent for the championship, however. Right before the April 18, 2020 date was called off, Jose Aldo resigned from the show.
Henry Cejudo Goes Winless in UFC Return Following Retirement
Although Henry Cejudo would defend the title and retire from the sport of MMA, his return to action following his original swan song five years ago wasn’t as successful. Upon returning to MMA in May of 2023, he’d lose four straight contests.
Ahead of the Dec. 6 fight matching Cejudo with Payton Talbott inside T-Mobile Arena, he’d reveal that this would be his last fight before retiring from MMA again. This time, the retirement from the sport would be one with more permanence to it.
With 2025 about to give way to 2026, one would think that a former UFC champion of Henry Cejudo’s ilk would kick back in the recliner and rest a little while after retiring from fights. That’s not part of his plans, however.
Henry Cejudo Lines Up Main Event Appearance in Real American Freestyle Feb. 28
Much like a few other fighters with ties to the UFC have done or will soon do, Henry Cejudo will be back in competition in February when he’ll make his return to the wrestling mat for the main event of the evening in Real American Freestyle. The Feb. 28 card will, as always, be viewed on the FOX Nation direct-to-consumer streaming platform.
Real American Freestyle’s official social media channels welcomed Cejudo to the promotion earlier Tuesday afternoon. Upon his debut in RAF 6 inside Tempe’s Mullett Arena, Henry Cejudo will join UFC combatants like Bo Nickal and the soon-to-debut Colby Covington, on the RAF active roster.
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Henry Cejudo’s Return to Wrestling Mats a Long Time Coming
RAF 6 will serve as Henry Cejudo’s first competitive freestyle wrestling match in nearly 14 years. Prior to setting his athletic aspirations on MMA, he competed in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, securing the gold medal for the United States in the 55-kg weight class to become the first American athlete to do so since 1904.
During that year’s tournament final, Cejudo, in a departure from his matches in earlier rounds of the freestyle wrestling tournament, he took the first period of the contest by virtue of executing a two-point turn after the opening frame finished level at 2-2.
From there, he coasted in the second period of the match thanks to a three-point throw to sweep the match. At 21, Cejudo broke the record for youngest American competitor to win the gold medal in the discipline, a record that stood until 2016, when Kyle Snyder, then age 20, scored top honors at 97-kg.
As yet, there’s no word on who Cejudo will be meeting in the mat on the last night of the shortest month of the year, but there’s no doubt that although it may not be in the UFC like in years past, his fans will welcome him back to competition with open arms.
