Henry Cejudo is the only fighter to hold the UFC bantamweight and flyweight titles and an Olympic gold medal. In fact, Cejudo won the Olympic gold during the Beijing Olympics. He has a unique opportunity to return to the country where he etched his name in history. โThe Kung Fu Kidโ Song Yadong, ranked #7 in the bantamweight division, has issued a challenge to โTriple C.โ
Cejudo has lost consecutively and will have to fight down the rankings. As such, Cejudo, ranked # 5, has looked at lower-ranked opponents in the division. Meanwhile, #7 ranked Song reminded Cejudo of his Olympic glory in Beijing in a cheeky callout on social media. He asked Henry Cejudo to fight him at the upcoming UFC Fight Night event in China.
I heard China is your lucky land @HenryCejudo, you got your Olympic gold medal in 2008. Iโm inviting you to come over this year in August, letโs put on a show for the fans. This will be a real show, stop calling out Font! @ufc.
Song Yadong via X
Stepping back into the country where he achieved his crowning accomplishment as a 21-year-old freestyle wrestling prodigy is a great prospect opportunity. Facing a young and hungry Chinese fighter on their home turf will add another chapter to his storied career.
Henry Cejudo is coming off a loss to the title contender Merab Dvalishvili. On the other hand, Song Yadong is also coming off a loss to Petr Yan. However, the โKung Fu Kidโ remains a dangerous fighter in the division. As such, Cejudo vs. Yadong remains an exciting matchup to look out for if the UFC books it.
Song Yadong gets a reply from Henry Cejudo
Henry Cejudo is never one to shy away from a verbal sparring match. When Chinese contender Song Yadong issued a callout for a potential showdown in China, Cejudo responded with his trademark wit and bravado. The Olympic champion is all in on his callout.
Cejudo acknowledged his fondness for China in a fiery reply on social media. He quipped that Yadongโs number would come soon. However, in a poetic rhyme, he wanted to get Petr Yan to fight him first.
Trust me, I love going to China because over there they refer to me as โShaqโโฆdonโt worry your time is coming Song-Iโll make you a limp Dongโฆ but first I want Petr YawnโฆIโm Russian to kick his ass. @PetrYanUFC.
Henry Cejudo via X
Petr Yan is one of the best strikers in the bantamweight division. The former Olympic champion clearly has no intentions of taking an easy path back to the top.ย However, Yan is injured and might not return until the end of the year. As such, it might lead Cejudo to fight Yadong instead.