Henry Cejudo Returns To Flyweight, Meets Chris Cariaso At UFC 185

Following his lopsided decision win over Dustin Kimura at UFC on FOX 13 last December, Olympic gold medalist wrestler Henry Cejudo pleaded his employers to give him another shot at flyweight.

Tonight (Mon. January 12, 2014), a report from Indiscutido.com revealed that the promotion has listened to the former Legacy FC 125-pound champ, granting him a bout with former title challenger Chris Cariaso at March 14’s UFC 185 pay-per-view (PPV) event from American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas, despite his repeated issues with making weight.

Scheduled to make his UFC debut at August 2014’s UFC 177 from Sacramento, a medical issue with his weight cut forced Cejudo out of the fight. UFC President Dana White said that he should stick to bantamweight from then on, but like many things that he says, it didn’t stick.

Cejudo, who won gold at the 2008 Summer Games from Beijing, will face by far his toughest test in the No. 9-ranked Cariaso. “Kamikaze” was the last fighter to face dominant flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, who made it look easy with a second round submission of Cariaso at September 2014’s UFC 178.

The highly experienced Cariaso was on a solid win streak prior to meeting up with the transcendent “Mighty Mouse,” and should be an excellent test for just how far Cejudo’s striking has come.

He looked sharp and powerful on his feet against Kimura, but he also enjoyed the decreased pressure of a lesser weight cut. This will most likely be Cejudo’s last chance of fighting at flyweight, so he’ll to make it count and prove he’s a true professional.

UFC 185 features Anthony Pettis vs. Rafael dos Anjos for “Showtime’s” lightweight title, and it could also showcase the rise of a flyweight title contender of Cejudo can beat his own toughest opponent: himself.

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