UFC Flyweight Contender Henry Cejudo Inducted into National Wrestling Hall of Fame

Before he became one of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s top flyweight contenders, Henry Cejudo was a decorated wrestler at the amateur level.

Cejudo was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame during a ceremony in Stillwater, Okla., on Saturday. The 31-year-old Phoenix native captured a gold medal in freestyle wrestling for the United States at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Cejudo was one of four new members enshrined in the Hall of Fame, along with Kristie Davis, Stephen Abas and the late Lee Allen. More on the accomplishments of each member can be viewed here.

According to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame website, its mission is “to honor the sport of wrestling by preserving its history, recognizing extraordinary individual achievements, and inspiring future generations.”

“It’s an honor because it’s a reflection of who you are, of who raised you,” Cejudo told UFC.com. “That’s what being a Hall of Famer is. The saying is that it takes a village to make a champion. It’s true. I couldn’t do this without my coaches, without my brothers, without my mother, without my family. Without their support, a lot of this stuff wouldn’t be possible.”

Cejudo has compiled a 12-2 record in mixed martial arts since making his professional debut in 2013. He is 6-2 in the UFC and is currently coming off back-to-back wins over Sergio Pettis and Wilson Reis. One interesting note from the release on nwhof.org is a statement claiming that Cejudo has a title fight in August. The UFC has not announced anything regarding such a bout, but Cejudo has been rumored to face reigning champion Demetrious Johnson in a rematch of their UFC 197 bout, which “Mighty Mouse” won via first-round technical knockout.

Cejudo recently took to Twitter to attack Johnson’s marketability as a fighter. Johnson was reportedly in talks to face T.J. Dillashaw in a champion vs. champion superfight, but that matchup apparently fell through, as Dillashaw will defend his 135-pound title in a rematch against Cody Garbrandt at UFC 227.

Congratulations to my long time friend henry cejudo for getting inducted into the USA wrestling hall of fame. What an accomplishment! @HenryCejudo pic.twitter.com/4qgeb7C9q0

— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) June 2, 2018