The Film Room: Henry Cejudo
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Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight titleholder Henry Cejudo will take aim at the vacant bantamweight crown when he meets Marlon Moraes in the UFC 238 main event on Saturday at the United Center in Chicago. “The Messenger” shocked the world in January when he stopped T.J. Dillashaw in just 32 seconds to retain his 125-pound title. Now, he looks to add to his legacy by becoming a rare simultaneous two-division champion.
Cejudo steps into the spotlight in this edition of The Film
Room.
Cejudo has a wide variety of takedowns from which to choose, but his takedown of choice is a lifting single-leg he has been using since his wrestling days. Instead of grabbing the leg and driving the opponent to the mat, Cejudo will lock his hands behind the knee and simply yank the leg upwards to secure the takedown.
Something else he focused on in his fight with Johnson was countering the “Mighty Mouse” low kicks. Anytime Johnson attempted a kick, Cejudo came forward with a quick combo and tried to parlay a few of them into a takedown. Moraes is one of the most kick-heavy fighters in the sport, so expect to see the same tactics from Cejudo in this fight.
Since Joining the UFC in 2014, Cejudo has become an excellent striker who relies on timing and basics instead of having a deep bag of tricks. His counters are simple, but he counters with combos instead of single strikes. Cejudo likes to push the pace and grind out his opponents, so being able to stand his ground and land these counter combos complements his high-paced style.
On the lead, Cejudo is rather patient and is at his best when he comes forward with a quick combo before resetting at range. One thing to notice about his leading attacks is how he rarely overextends or throws more than two or three strikes at a time. This allows him to never be out of position to defend, and since the threat of his grappling is always there, opponents do not know whether to cover up and defend the strikes or drop their hands to defend a takedown.
Knockout power is a rare trait for a flyweight, but Cejudo has proven he can finish some of the best fighters in the world with his hands. Against Wilson Reis, he landed a beautiful counter right straight down the middle that set up the finish, and earlier this year, he finished Dillashaw with a right hand behind the ear that set up another TKO, albeit a bit of an early stoppage in the eyes of some. Nevertheless, Cejudo has shown he has true one-punch knockout power, which is just another aspect of his game that separates him from the rest of the remaining UFC flyweights. The big question heading into this fight with Moraes: Will Cejudo’s skills translate to bantamweight? He will almost certainly be the fastest man in the division, but we do not know how he will deal with being the smaller man in the cage. Moraes is not that much bigger, but his length advantage could make it difficult for Cejudo to get close enough to strike in the pocket or shoot for a takedown.
Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight titleholder Henry Cejudo will take aim at the vacant bantamweight crown when he meets Marlon Moraes in the UFC 238 main event on Saturday at the United Center in Chicago. “The Messenger” shocked the world in January when he stopped T.J. Dillashaw in just 32 seconds to retain his 125-pound title. Now, he looks to add to his legacy by becoming a rare simultaneous two-division champion.
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As you probably know by now, Cejudo is a former Olympian and one of
the most decorated wrestlers in UFC history. He won gold at the
2008 Olympics at just 21 years old and was a four-time gold
medalist at the Pan American Championships. Oddly, we have still
yet to see much of his grappling in MMA, but at the end of the day,
it remains his base; his entire game revolves around his wrestling,
whether he actually uses it or just uses the threat of it. Cejudo’s
grappling centers on the variety of takedowns he uses. He can shoot
for doubles or singles from a distance, duck under opponents’
strikes for a counter takedown and use the clinch to land trips or
throws. Although he has only used his grappling as support for his
striking in MMA, the threat of his skills can force opponents to be
hesitant and set the tone of the fight. Demetrious
Johnson became much less aggressive as their rematch went on
because of the threat of the takedown, and even Dillashaw seemed
more patient than usual in their short battle.
Cejudo has a wide variety of takedowns from which to choose, but his takedown of choice is a lifting single-leg he has been using since his wrestling days. Instead of grabbing the leg and driving the opponent to the mat, Cejudo will lock his hands behind the knee and simply yank the leg upwards to secure the takedown.
Something else he focused on in his fight with Johnson was countering the “Mighty Mouse” low kicks. Anytime Johnson attempted a kick, Cejudo came forward with a quick combo and tried to parlay a few of them into a takedown. Moraes is one of the most kick-heavy fighters in the sport, so expect to see the same tactics from Cejudo in this fight.
Since Joining the UFC in 2014, Cejudo has become an excellent striker who relies on timing and basics instead of having a deep bag of tricks. His counters are simple, but he counters with combos instead of single strikes. Cejudo likes to push the pace and grind out his opponents, so being able to stand his ground and land these counter combos complements his high-paced style.
On the lead, Cejudo is rather patient and is at his best when he comes forward with a quick combo before resetting at range. One thing to notice about his leading attacks is how he rarely overextends or throws more than two or three strikes at a time. This allows him to never be out of position to defend, and since the threat of his grappling is always there, opponents do not know whether to cover up and defend the strikes or drop their hands to defend a takedown.
Knockout power is a rare trait for a flyweight, but Cejudo has proven he can finish some of the best fighters in the world with his hands. Against Wilson Reis, he landed a beautiful counter right straight down the middle that set up the finish, and earlier this year, he finished Dillashaw with a right hand behind the ear that set up another TKO, albeit a bit of an early stoppage in the eyes of some. Nevertheless, Cejudo has shown he has true one-punch knockout power, which is just another aspect of his game that separates him from the rest of the remaining UFC flyweights. The big question heading into this fight with Moraes: Will Cejudo’s skills translate to bantamweight? He will almost certainly be the fastest man in the division, but we do not know how he will deal with being the smaller man in the cage. Moraes is not that much bigger, but his length advantage could make it difficult for Cejudo to get close enough to strike in the pocket or shoot for a takedown.
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