UFC flyweight champion Henry Cejudo did not have a good experience during his flight to Moscow, Russia over the weekend. After being tapped as a guest fighter to attend UFC Fight Night 136, the newly-crowned 125-pound title holder lost his luggage, which is easily any traveler’s worst nightmare.
The UFC did take Cejudo on a shopping spree to replace his lost clothes, but unfortunately for him, his title belt was among those that never came back to him.
“Unfortunately, my belt is in my luggage,” Cejudo told reporters, including MMAjunkie. “So now, on top of my gold medal, now it’s my belt. I don’t know what it is about gold. I can’t keep it.”
Cejudo lost his Olympic gold medal during a California wildfire he escaped from last October. But for the 31-year-old champion, the significance lies more on what the gold represents.
“Let’s be honest, material comes and goes. It’s the memories, it’s the legacy that comes with being a champion,” Cejudo said. “I’m going to get a gold medal back. I’m going to get a belt back. But it’s the memories that come with that that makes it special.”
After derailing Demetrious Johnson’s five-year title reign at UFC 227 last August, Cejudo is being billed to face bantamweight champion T.J. Dillshaw, next. According to Dillashaw, there have been “hints” that the UFC is trying to build the fight up.