Henry Cejudo has expressed doubts about Alexandre Pantoja's ability to maintain his position as the UFC flyweight champion.
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Henry Cejudo has expressed doubts about Alexandre Pantoja’s ability to maintain his position as the UFC flyweight champion due to his fighting style. Pantoja recently secured the 125-pound title after a grueling five-round battle against Brandon Moreno at UFC 290.
While acknowledging Pantoja’s heart and determination in the fight, Cejudo has questioned the effectiveness of his strategy and its sustainability for long-term success in the competitive flyweight division.
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“What scares me with Pantoja a bit is his style of fighting,” Cejudo said on his YouTube channel. “Pantoja’s style of fighting, man, it’s – will a guy like that be able to last and be able to have six to seven to eight title defenses? Or is it short-lived? Can Pantoja become a little more technical defensively? Can he do a really good job of that?”
Cejudo highlighted how Pantoja’s aggressive approach may have worked against him in his previous bout against former champion Deiveson Figueiredo. In that fight, Figueiredo managed to connect with significant strikes, ultimately leading to a Fight of the Night decision victory in 2019.
“I go back, and I watch that fight with Brandon, and it’s the same thing in the first and second fight that they’ve had,” Cejudo continued. “He takes a lot of hits. He got hit by Brandon quite a bit, and a guy like Deiveson Figueiredo, when he fought him, it was a good stylistic matchup for him (Figueiredo) because Deiveson focused on power, and Deiveson actually really did hurt him. When you hurt somebody, you slow them down.”
After triumphantly defending his title against Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 in May 2020, Henry Cejudo shocked the world by announcing his retirement from the sport. Yet, after an almost three-year absence, he made a stunning comeback, aiming to challenge Aljamain Sterling for the championship at UFC 288 in May. Despite putting up a valiant effort, Cejudo’s comeback bid fell just short, as he experienced a heartbreaking split decision loss in the highly anticipated championship bout.
Despite facing a setback due to a shoulder injury, Henry Cejudo has not shown any signs of contemplating retirement from the world of fighting. Quite the contrary, he remains resolute in his determination to make a triumphant comeback. Cejudo’s focus is now on diligently rehabilitating his injured shoulder, with expectations of a recovery period spanning around six to eight weeks.
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