Petr Yan feels he knows why Henry Cejudo decided to hang up his gloves as the UFC bantamweight champion.
Cejudo captured the 135-pound gold back in June 2019. “Triple C” stopped Marlon Moraes via third-round TKO to earn the previously vacant bantamweight championship. Cejudo was sidelined for almost a full year due to shoulder surgery but he made a successful title defense against Dominick Cruz on May 9.
Petr Yan Says Henry Cejudo Lacked Confidence
After the win over Cruz, Cejudo announced his retirement and the UFC bantamweight gold once again became vacant. While many pointed to money as a reason why Cejudo hung up his gloves, Yan shared another theory with MMAJunkie.
“I don’t hate the guy and I’m not disappointed I won’t get to fight him, because my goal is to win the belt, and not to fight Cejudo,” Yan said. “The division is booming right now and he retired without facing top contenders. If he had confidence he could clear out the division, he wouldn’t retire right now.”
Yan is set to compete for the vacant bantamweight title on July 11. He’ll share the Octagon with former featherweight ruler Jose Aldo. The title bout will be featured on the main card of UFC 251. The action will be held on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
Aljamain Sterling is waiting in the wings. The “Funk Master” nabbed a quick submission victory over Cory Sandhagen in a bout many thought would come down to the wire. UFC president Dana White claimed Sterling will face the winner of Yan vs. Aldo.
UFC 251 will be headlined by a welterweight title clash between champion Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns. The co-main event is set to be a featherweight title rematch between champion Alex Volkanovski and Max Holloway. A rematch between former strawweight champions Jessica Andrade and Rose Namajunas is also set for the card.
