Henry Cejudo, the legendary two-weight UFC champion, returned to competition on Tuesday in Kazakhstan, participating in a low-profile grappling event. Facing former ONE Championship flyweight king Kairat Akhmetov in a single-round exhibition, Cejudo, an Olympic gold medalist wrestler, secured a decision victory. The pure grappling format, without strikes, allowed him to showcase his wrestling prowess.
Following the match, he was unusually presented with one of his old UFC title belts. After briefly displaying it during a post-fight interview, he gifted the belt to the son of the Alash Pride FC president, who had extended the invitation for the event.
Cejudo Defeats Akhmetov in Cage Return
Cejudo`s return to the cage on Tuesday, following a contentious loss to Song Yadong at UFC Seattle, occurred without significant fanfare in the United States. However, he was met with large crowds in Kazakhstan during his extended visit, culminating in the grappling exhibition.
Wearing wrestling shoes and heavily relying on his wrestling background, Cejudo clearly controlled the positional aspects but was unable to achieve a submission against Akhmetov. Despite being less decorated than Cejudo, the Kazakh fighter was the second to enter and received immense support from the packed venue.
Cejudo won the contest, then spent a considerable amount of time posing for photographs with various officials within the cage. He also wore his old UFC title belt over his shoulder before ultimately giving it to the son of Alash Pride FC president Alimzhan Bektaev.
Cejudo stated that the belt was the one he earned by defeating TJ Dillashaw and preserving the UFC flyweight division in January 2019. Speaking post-bout, he commented: “I want to thank Kairat for giving me the opportunity in Alash. Alash is unique; it’s the only place you can see a UFC champion and a ONE FC champion compete. I am very thankful for that and want to extend a big thanks to Kairat. I’ve been a fan of his for a while and know he was supposed to fight Demetrious Johnson. It’s an honor to compete against him.”
Cejudo Hints at Final UFC Appearance
A severe eye injury sustained against Song has prompted Cejudo to consider his career future. He initially retired at his peak in 2020 as a two-division champion but has since lost all three of his Octagon bouts since returning in 2023.
His return losses were to Aljamain Sterling in a title challenge, followed by Merab Dvalishvili. The outcome against Song was the most disputed, and he later informed President Donald Trump that he intends to compete just one more time.
When Trump inquired about his condition after the painful and controversial injury against Song Yadong in Seattle, Cejudo responded, “I’m doing good Mr President.” Regarding his future fights, he told the President, “I’ve got one more and I’m calling it.”
