If there’s one thing Henry Cejudo isn’t lacking, it’s confidence. The Olympic gold medalist in wrestling will get his shot at UFC gold on April 23rd when he meets flyweight king Demetrious Johnson, and he intends to make the most of it. In a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, he explained how he’s going to train for the bout and how Holly Holm inspired him (via MMA Fighting):
“I’m treating this fight like I’m training for the Olympics,” Cejudo said. “This is the Olympics of MMA and that’s how I’m going to treat it. I’m in complete concentration and isolation, and that’s it. I’m excited and I know what I’m capable of doing.
“I’m ready for a five-round fight, but I believe if I connect, he’s going to feel it, man. It’s like what Holly Holm told Ronda (Rousey). [Someone asked Holly,] ‘what’s the difference between you and every other girl who she’s beaten?’ The simple answer was, she said, ‘I’m just a different athlete. I’m just a different girl.’ And that’s kind of how I feel. I’m just a different athlete. I’m a different breed, and you guys will see that. He’ll feel it.”
The two men will face off in the co-main event of UFC 197, underneath a light heavyweight title fight between Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones. While Cejudo said that he has great respect for Jone, he relates to fellow Olympian Cormier and feels that the April 23rd event is “MMA vs. the Olympics.”
He also gave DJ a warning – he’s going to take his title fair and square, and he’s not going to listen to any excuses:
“What I don’t want: I don’t want excuses,” Cejudo said. “When I beat him, I don’t want excuses that, ‘oh, [I was distracted by] my shirt [business], my beard, people were pulling me over here, pulling me over there.’ No. You’re fighting an undefeated fighter, an elite fighter, and he’ll showcase it. Come on, man. This is a fight. You’re not fighting (Joseph) Benavidez. You’re not fighting (Kyoji) Horiguchi. You’re fighting Henry Cejudo, a really strong, strong-willed human being who can put things together, and I will shine under the brightest lights.
“I’m excited because, man, this is like the Olympic trials all over again,” Cejudo added. “A lot of people didn’t believe in me. A lot of people, 98-percent of people didn’t believe in me. Ninety-nine. But I had my coaches, I had my brother, and myself. There’s only three people, really, who truly believed I could’ve done it, going from 31st in the world to first. So, count me out again, baby. I love it.”
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