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Eric Albarracin sees another UFC title for Henry Cejudo before the end of 2022.

The first iteration of Henry Cejudo’s MMA career ended after he scored a TKO win over Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 in defense of the UFC bantamweight crown.

Since his retirement, the former two-division UFC champ teased a return to action so often that it reached a point where it almost became a bad comic routine. At one point, UFC president Dana White, perhaps tiring of fielding questions about Cejudo’s talk of a return to the octagon, said, “Cejudo knows what he needs to do to get back in and get—whatever. I mean, just talking sh-t on Instagram does not get you fights.”

We don’t know exactly when Cejudo put his, “I’m coming back’ shtick to rest, but we know he did because his name shows up on the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) website with a “4” listed under the “Test Count” for the second quarter of 2022.

With that, Cejudo, who was 16-2 when he walked away from the sport, could be back in action by the end of this year.

Per USADA, who oversees the UFC’s anti-doping program, “Athletes wanting to come out of retirement and return to eligible status must enroll in the USADA testing pool, fulfilling all Whereabouts requirements, and make themselves available for testing for a period of at least six (6) months in advance of participating in International or National level events as defined in the Code. “

When he returns to the Octagon, Cejudo’s coach, Eric Albarracin, sees another “C” being added to Cejudo’s “Triple C” nickname.

“‘Triple C’ will officially become ‘C4’ this year,” Albarracin said recently on The MMA Hour. “He is back in the (USADA testing) pool. We go head first into it. Henry comes from the Olympic Training Center; he’s been tested since he was a sophomore in high school.”

Albarracin thinks Cejudo, who held UFC belts at 125 and 135 pounds, is going to make a run at current UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, but that doesn’t mean Cejudo, who also holds an Olympic gold medal in wresting – hence “Triple C” – won’t look to add the flyweight title to his trophy case.

“The word on the street is [bantamweight], so I think he’s coming after Aljamain. I think Volkanovski, I don’t think he understands how good Henry is. I think either he’s scared of him or is blowing off. I think Volkanovski’s great, Henry thinks he’s average. But they haven’t been able to get them on board with each other. But I do think if he comes back and gets the 135-pound title, he can move up, and an immediate world title shot at 145, whether it’s Volkanovski or Max Holloway.”

With Cejudo rejoining the USADA pool in the second quarter of 2022 and still ineligible to fight, the UFC has not booked him for a fight. However, Albarracin thinks Cejudo’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, will land his charge a title fight without an issue.

“Ali can get a lot of people title shots,” Albarracin said. “It should not be that hard for the greatest combat athlete, the Olympic champion, the two-time UFC champion, who left on top – [Georges St-Pierre] did it. ‘Triple C’ should be able to do it as well.”

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Eduardo Dantas thinks his teammate Jose Aldo would win the bantamweight belt if paired up against Sterling.

Former Bellator bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas has faith in teammate Jose Aldo’s skills against the current UFC champ, Aljamain Sterling. Considering both men’s track record, ‘Dudu’ is certain the matchup would favor his fellow countryman, if it ever happens.

In an interview with Ag Fight, Dantas explained the reason why he thinks Aldo could dethrone the ‘Funkmaster’ with ease. In Eduardo’s opinion, Jose’s skills are just too much for Sterling to handle, especially in the striking department.

“If they were to put Aldo to fight for the belt now, it would be really bad news for Sterling. Sterling couldn’t take down Aldo with that terrible skill set of his. He’s a very dedicated champion, with a huge heart, but his game is not solid. He’s clumsy. He can’t punch or kick well. He’s not a finisher. He has a deep gas tank and a lot of willpower, but I don’t think he’s going to last very long as the champion. I think that Aldo takes the belt from Sterling, if they fought. I think Sterling would get beat up.”

“Junior (Aldo) throws lots of leg kicks and he’s not afraid of getting taken down.” Dantas said. “He plants his feet more now. He has been moving more, but he is more planted, too. He walks forward. It would be a great fight, where Junior would pick him apart. He would frustrate Sterling. Aldo is a patient guy, he gets into his opponent’s minds. Round by round, until he can land a punch and win by knockout.”

Currently on a two-fight winning streak, Dantas (23-7) defeated Michel Costa and Jose Alday on the regional circuit. The 33-year-old left Bellator after getting knocked out by Juan Archuleta back in June 2019, but has recently been picked up by Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Eagle FC. Dudu has no opponents lined up for his debut in the new promotion yet. Aldo (31-7) is coming off a big win over Rob Font in December.

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Episode 168 discussion: UFC fights on tap, Dominick Cruz makes great argument for flat purses, Sterling breaks down fighter expenses

Welcome to ‘The Mookie & Crookie Show’, a spinoff of ‘The Level Change Podcast’ that goes a little more in-depth on major combat sports news, as well as takes a humorous look at the crazy world of combat sports social media. The show is hosted by Mookie Alexander and Stephie Haynes and airs every Tuesday. We provide you with a summary of the topics discussed or questions asked, complete with the timestamps for when each interview or special segment begins. As always, we hope you enjoy listening to the show as much as we enjoyed recording it.

June M. Williams

EPISODE 168

Best fights of June: Teixeira-Prochazka, Shevchenko-Santos, Kattar-Emmett, Zhang-Joanna 2 – 3:00

Dominick Cruz wants flat purses over show/win – 16:01

https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/5/27/23143784/dominick-cruz-wants-flat-fees-over-show-win-purses-commission-has-no-power-over-ruining-our-careers

Aljamain Sterling reveals what he made against Petr Yan – 28:28

https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2022/5/27/23145071/ufc-aljamain-sterling-responds-michael-chandler-privileged-view-fighter-pay-dana-white-mma-news

OTHER NOTABLE MOMENTS FROM COMBAT SPORTS – 39:21

Gervonta Davis stops Rolando Romero

PUDZ!!!

https://twitter.com/KSW_MMA/status/1530661110155816960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Follow our Twitter accounts: Stephie Haynes, Mookie Alexander, and our show account Mookie & Crookie Show. If you enjoy our shows, give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow, and give us a “like”, share & subscribe on your BE Presents Podcast platform of choice: SoundCloud, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, OverCast, Player FM, & Amazon Music – For previous episodes of the show, check out our playlists on any of our BE Presents channels.

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“I am not going to let anyone disrespect my family.”

UFC “BMF” champion Jorge Masvidal is speaking up about his ongoing assault case involving former training partner Colby Covington. In a recent interview with ESPN Deportes, “Gamebred” maintained his innocence while refusing to divulge too much.

“I come from a different place than many people and we walk differently in that place,” Masvidal said in Spanish (H/T MMA Mania). I am not going to let anyone disrespect my family.

“I can’t talk much because they are charging me with three felonies. I can only say that I am innocent.”

Masvidal is currently serving charges of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and criminal mischief after allegedly assaulting Covington outside a Miami steakhouse in March. “Chaos”— who suffered a broken jaw and $ 15K worth of damages to his supposed $ 90K Rolex – also accused Masvidal of causing him a “brain injury” from the incident.

As for his fighting career, the 37-year-old Masvidal (35-16) expects to be back in action sometime within the year. He also foresees another title shot after at least two bouts.

“This year, guaranteed return, I don’t know the date yet,” he said. “I believe that with two fights I can be fighting for the title or in a title contender’s fight.”

Masvidal’s last Octagon appearance happened against Covington at UFC 272 in March.

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UFC welterweight Michel Pereira continues to taunt Jorge Masvidal.

Michel Pereira is not done taunting Jorge Masvidal just yet.

After provoking the BMF champion at UFC Vegas 55’s post-fight scrum following his split decision win over Santiago Ponzinibbio, the Brazilian doubled down on the trash talk on Monday.

In an interview with MMA YouTube channel Olhar da Luta, Pereira mocked Masvidal’s recent track record and losing skid, saying ‘Gamebred’ just focus on winning rather than talking. Furthermore, Michel claimed that Jorge is not interested in the fight because the Brazilian is not a big enough draw to warrant a big payment from the UFC.

“I saw a video of him today, saying he wants to fight Conor McGregor,” Pereira said. “All that guy does is lose and he wants to face top guys. I don’t get it. I’ll get him, though. Don’t worry, I’ll get him soon. I have the longest win streak in the division after Kamaru Usman.

“I want to see what his excuse is going to be. Those guys always have an excuse. Masvidal is the king of excuses. He’s on a three-fight skid and doesn’t want to fight me? What is he, scared? Or maybe it’s about money. All those guys think about is money.”

Currently on a five-fight win streak, Pereira (28-11-2 NC) defeated the aforementioned Ponzinibbio, Andre Fialho, Khaos Williams, Niko Price and Zelim Imadaev in his most recent outings. In fact, the 28-year-old’s most recent defeat dates back to a disqualification loss due to illegal knee, against Diego Sanchez, back in July 2020.

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The former lightweight champ dropped his signature habit after having a child of his own.

‘Just wait until you have kids of your own.’ It’s a line so common it’s become a cliche that spans generations. In part, of course, because it so often comes true.

That’s a reality former UFC champion and current Bellator talent Benson Henderson had to face up to after years of walking around, and even competing inside the Octagon, with a toothpick in his mouth. Ironically enough, it’s a habit Henderson apparently picked up from his own father, and one that used to worry his mother.

The longtime MMA Lab talent talked about breaking away from his signature idiosyncrasy on a recent episode of the MMA Hour (transcript via MMA Fighting).

“I try not to have the toothpick anymore,” Henderson explained. “It was just a bad habit. I try not to. I always told my mom that it was because I saw my dad with a toothpick in his mouth, so then I would copy him and be 7, 8, 9 years old running around with a toothpick in my mouth and she’d be all scared, ‘Oh, take it out!’ Then when I had my oldest [child], I envisioned my 6-year old, 5-year old, 7-year old son running around with a toothpick in his mouth and I was deathly afraid. Like, ‘No! You could get really hurt!’

“That’s why I try not to do that whole toothpick thing, just because I’m worried about them copying me. So I try not to.”

All the way through the end of his UFC run, Henderson continued the habit. These past half dozen years, however, he’s been operating under the Bellator banner and, from the sound of things, fighting toothpick-free. Henderson is currently fresh off a victory over Islam Mamedov, handing the Dagestani talent his first loss since 2009 (against ex-Bellator talent Alexander Sarnavskiy no less), and breaking Mamedov’s 20-fight unbeaten streak.

After signing a new multi-fight contract with the Showtime-based promotion, Henderson is now scheduled to face SBG Ireland talent Peter Queally in the headlining slot of Bellator 285 this September. Alongside the lightweight main event, the card is expected to feature a light heavyweight bout between former UFC title contender Yoel Romero and action-fight legend Melvin Manhoef.

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Becker lost his lightweight championship after breaking his leg at Eternal MMA 66. 

Jack Becker is in good spirits after suffering a gruesome injury seconds into his fight against Aidan Aguilera at Eternal MMA 66 this past Sunday.

Becker was defending his lightweight championship against Aguilera when something unfortunate happened. Becker threw a low kick that was checked by Aguilera, which led to his right leg snapping. When Becker tried to step on it, he immediately fell to the canvas with his right leg now bent in the opposite direction. The referee tended to and requested the cageside physicians for Becker, who lay on the canvas in pain.

You can see the finish below, courtesy of Eternal MMA:

Warning: Video below is graphic. Please proceed with caution.

Becker has since addressed his injury and found humor in it, joking that it was an ‘early stoppage’ on social media. The 29-year-old also showered praise on his opponent and encouraged him to enjoy his new championship.

“Everybody who came out and made some noise, it was an experience I’ll never forget, I’m looking forward to feeling it again when I can,” wrote Becker. “Was all going to plan till my leg turned into a noodle.

“[Aidan Aguilera] I’m glad the belt is bequeathed to a man who values spicey highlights and sportsmanship,” continued Becker. “I’m sorry that’s how it went down. We deserved more than 22 seconds after the wait we had to perform. Defend the belt and enjoy it cos [sic] you deserve to.”

Aguilera sent well wishes to Becker in his response to the fight and its unfortunate ending.

“You don’t play MMA, it can be incredibly unforgiving and cruel,” wrote Aguilera. “Nothing but respect for [Jack Becker] on how he conducts himself inside and outside the cage. After it happened his first concern was sitting up so he could gesture to the crowd that he was ok – took it like an absolute gangster and was able to have a laugh even before the green whistle was brought in.

“You’re a champion Jack and I hope to represent the same qualities in my reign,” continued Aguilera. “I have no doubt you have the strength and grit to get through the tough road ahead and I look forward to seeing you back.”

Considered one of the best prospects in Australia and New Zealand, Becker now holds a record of 10-3 as a professional. He was on a three-fight win streak that included a title-winning effort and subsequent defense against Daniel Hill and Brentin Mumford at Eternal MMA 61 and Eternal MMA 63, respectively.

Prior to his fight against Aguilera, Becker spoke to Ryan Jarrell of All Access MMA and said he hoped a win would earn him a UFC opportunity. That will have to wait as he recovers from his leg injury.

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Jorge Masvidal says Conor McGregor is shooting up steroids.

Conor McGregor has put on quite a bit of weight during his time away from the Octagon, and said he doesn’t see himself ever coming back to 155 lbs again. Jorge Masvidal seems to think that increase in mass comes from the use of performance enhancing drugs.

Masvidal, who welcomes a potential fight against McGregor, accused the Irishman of steroid use in a recent interview. Gamebred called McGregor “fake” and says he will always be a “little boy” to him, despite his supposed attempts to get bigger through banned substances.

“He is fake,” Masvidal told ESPN Deportes in Spanish. “He knows that I am a man who hits hard and that I come to kill. I don’t come to hug in the cage. I’m going to give everything inside me to kill him.

“I’m a little bigger. Although now he’s shooting up and putting steroids and all kinds of things, but he’s still a little boy,” he said.

“I would love to fight at 170 pounds, but I don’t wait for anyone. If he wants to do it, I will break his face. If he doesn’t want to, let the next one come.”

The 37-year-old veteran is on a three-fight skid against the elite of the division, and vows to improve his conditioning and be in the “best shape of my life” in order to get back on track. Masvidal “guaranteed” a return later this year, and believes that he’ll only need two wins to get him back in title contention.

McGregor is currently recovering from his shin break last year, and is already back to sparring. Although he is progressing and called for a title fight at 170 lbs, there is still no date on his return.

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Santiago Ponzinibbio feels judging has robbed him of victories not only against Michel Pereira, but against Geoff Neal as well.

In a close, thrilling co-main event match at UFC Vegas 55, welterweight Santiago Ponzinibbio ended up on the losing side of a split decision against Michel Pereira. It was a widely contested decision, with plenty of fans and pundits declaring both men should have clearly got the victory. The defeat has left the ‘Argentinian Dagger’ seemingly quite frustrated after putting in so much effort.

In an interview with Combate, Ponzinibbio explained why the result affect his mood so much after the fight. Although the match showed how skilled and Santiago still is, the 35-year-old worries that each loss moves him further away from his goal of becoming UFC champion.

“I’m very frustrated. People think I won both fights,” Ponzinibbio explained, speaking of his loss not only to Pereira, but to Geoff Neal as well. “My last fight, when it was over, even Kamaru Usman, who is not my friend, posted a tweet saying I had won it. I don’t even have to talk about this one, because it’s even clearer. So it’s very frustrating, because I work so hard for this. I feel like it’s delaying my career. I know I’m good enough to be at the top. If they hadn’t robbed me of those last two wins, I’d be 10-1 in the UFC. “

“I should be fighting for the title.” Santiago said “There aren’t many people with a record like that in the UFC. My only real loss was to the Chinese guy [Li Jingliang]. I got knocked out in that one, but that’s only because I had been on a long layoff due to a major health issue. I was a different person after that, though. It pisses me off, but I know I’ll overcome this. I know I’m a real one. I’m talented.”

Sandwiched between the losses to Geoff Neal and Li Jingliang, Ponzinibbio picked up a decision win over Miguel Baeza in June of last year. That fight marks his sole victory stretching all the way back to 2018, when he defeated Neal Magny via 4th round knockout—after which a series of injuries kept him on the sidelines for just over two years.

No word yet as to when Ponzinibbio might be back in action, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s just a little more passionate in pursuit of the KO next time he steps into the cage. It’s either that, or leave it once again in the hands of the judges.

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Rolly Romero may have gotten planted late in round 6 of his WBA title bout against Gervonta Davis on Saturday, but the loss hasn’t dimmed his confidence.

Never let it be said that Rolly Romero lacks in confidence. The former WBA interim lightweight champion faced off against noted-power-punching champ Gervonta Davis for the unified belt on Saturday, May 28th, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.

The bout was a reasonably competitive one through five rounds, with both men throwing in volume, but connecting at a fairly low rate. Or at least that’s how it was going right up until late in the 6th round, when Romero decided to step in on a body-head three punch combo. He never saw the Davis left hook that clubbed him on the counter and sent him crashing to the mat.

The result was the first loss of Romero’s six-year pro boxing career, and another notch in the belt for Davis—whose unbeaten record now runs out to 27-0. But, while the loss couldn’t have possibly been more definitive, it doesn’t seem to have dimmed Romero’s view that he was the better man in the ring between the two of them.

“I won all six rounds,” Romero told reporters at a post-fight presser. “I won every moment of that fight. I exposed him, and we need to run that shit back.”

“I want Gervonta Davis again,” Romero continued, when asked who he’d like to fight next. “I was winning that f-cking fight and I just got hit with a clean shot, that’s all… I want Gervonta Davis again, I exposed his ass, and everybody in this room knows it.

“I had him running like a bitch the entire fight. And, like I said, he got a nice shot in. That’s all that happened. He got hurt multiple times, and he ran around. He was terrified of me, and I doubt he’ll do the rematch again.”

As for Davis, questions after this win have mostly been around whether or not he’ll stay with Premier Boxing Champions and Mayweather promotions. Lately Davis has talked about wanting to be in control of his own career, and there’s been talk of a potential fight with Ryan Garcia. Whether any of that actually comes to fruition, however, remains to be seen.

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