According to coach Tim Welch, former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo closed the door on a possible main event against a rising contender.
Cejudo hasn't had the best time of things since returning from a short-lived retirement last May. After narrowly falling short of regaining the bantamweight crown against Aljamain Sterling, "Triple C" fell to 0-2 since his comeback at UFC 298 in Anaheim this past February, where he was beaten by Merab Dvalishvili.
While the latest setback sparked talk of a return to retirement for the veteran, he was quick to commit to the continuation of his fighting career. He's since been assessing his options, calling to fight the likes of Petr Yan and Rob Font.
He's also been dismissing some matchups. That was publicly evident in the case of Song Yadong, whose invitation to Cejudo for a showdown in China was shut down by the former champ-champ on social media.
And when it comes to being rejected by the 2008 Olympic gold medalist, "The Kung Fu Kid" is seemingly not alone...
O'Malley's Coach Claims Cejudo Turned Down Phillips Headliner
A recent report from @MagicM_MMABets on social media claimed that Cejudo was being lined up to headline a UFC Fight Night opposite #11-ranked contender Kyler Phillips.
Phillips, a teammate of bantamweight kingpin Sean O'Malley's, has won three straight since a controversial loss to Raulian Paiva in 2021, most recently getting the better of divisional veteran Pedro Munhoz at UFC 299 in Miami.
While "Matrix" is pursuing a spot inside the top 10 that a matchup with Cejudo would present an opportunity for, "Triple C" has been accused of rejecting the clash.
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"(Cap) Henry turned it down," Phillips' coach Tim Welch wrote in response to the report.
Despite going 0-2 since his return to active competition, Cejudo still currently occupies the #5 spot in the bantamweight pecking order.
Given his focus on the likes of Yan and Font, he's evidently pursuing a more prominent name than Phillips for his next outing.