Henry Cejudo: Success Born From Strife
Henry Cejudo: Success Born From Strife
By Roy BillingtonLife hasn't granted Henry Cejudo any privileges. Born the youngest of seven children to an illegal-immigrant mother and a delinquent father
By Roy Billington
Life hasn't granted Henry Cejudo any privileges.
Born the youngest of seven children to an illegal-immigrant mother and a delinquent father, Cejudo and his family faced poverty every day, along with gangs entrenched in the area around their house.
For Henry, finding food was a daily struggle. He sometimes missed meals, but found solace in athletic pursuits; in particular, wrestling.
Wrestling is the toughest sport in the world -- the training is brutal and unrelenting. To succeed, you need equal parts talent and moxie. Cejudo had both. He followed in the footsteps of his brother, Angel, a great wrestler in his own right.
Through his high school career, Angel ran up a 150-0 record. Perhaps more importantly, he paved the way for his brother.
In high school, Cejudo's wrestling talent began to shine. His athleticism and guile led him to four national championships, which was impressive enough to warrant an invitation to Team USA's developmental program.
Cejudo was offered athletic scholarships, but he decided to bypass the traditional collegiate wrestling path to focus on the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.
The road to Beijing was an impressive one for Cejudo. He showed the true depth of his talent by winning gold at the Pan-American Games, but it was just a taste of what was to come.
When he stepped on the mat in Beijing for his opening match against former world champion Radoslav Velikov, it seemed like Cejudo’s Olympic dream might be short-lived. Cejudo was beaten in the first period, but managed to win the final two to proceed to the next round.
The 2008 Olympic final matched Cejudo against Japanese phenom Tomohiro Matsunaga. Despite the opposition, Cejudo was calm. He dismantled Matsunaga, becoming the youngest American to ever win the final.
After failing to qualify for the 2012 Olympic team, Cejudo decided it was time for a new career path. He announced his decision to pursue a mixed martial arts career in January 2013; within 12 months, his record would be an astounding 6-0.
Cejudo’s aptitude for MMA was staggering. His grappling skills were obviously top-shelf, but his little-discussed experience in Golden Gloves boxing also gave him a striking pedigree. Afer his sixth professional fight, the UFC signed him to a deal.
Cejudo was scheduled to make his UFC debut against Scott Jorgensen, but failed to make weight and was pulled from the fight. It was not the first time Cejudo had weight issues, and onlookers began to question his dedication to the sport. He was forced to move to bantamweight for a single fight before being granted another chance at flyweight by the UFC. Since then, he has made weight every time, and his four consecutive UFC victories earned him a shot at champion Demetrious Johnson at UFC 197.
Johnson may well be the greatest fighter of all time, but Cejudo has more than a fighting chance to beat him. His wrestling is unlike any Johnson has faced, and his boxing is good enough to keep him in the fight.
Cejudo has overcome much in his life. If he is able to beat Johnson and capture the gold, he may go down as the greatest combat sports athlete in history.
Life hasn't granted Henry Cejudo any privileges.
Born the youngest of seven children to an illegal-immigrant mother and a delinquent father, Cejudo and his family faced poverty every day, along with gangs entrenched in the area around their house.
For Henry, finding food was a daily struggle. He sometimes missed meals, but found solace in athletic pursuits; in particular, wrestling.
Wrestling is the toughest sport in the world -- the training is brutal and unrelenting. To succeed, you need equal parts talent and moxie. Cejudo had both. He followed in the footsteps of his brother, Angel, a great wrestler in his own right.
Through his high school career, Angel ran up a 150-0 record. Perhaps more importantly, he paved the way for his brother.
In high school, Cejudo's wrestling talent began to shine. His athleticism and guile led him to four national championships, which was impressive enough to warrant an invitation to Team USA's developmental program.
Cejudo was offered athletic scholarships, but he decided to bypass the traditional collegiate wrestling path to focus on the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.
The road to Beijing was an impressive one for Cejudo. He showed the true depth of his talent by winning gold at the Pan-American Games, but it was just a taste of what was to come.
When he stepped on the mat in Beijing for his opening match against former world champion Radoslav Velikov, it seemed like Cejudo’s Olympic dream might be short-lived. Cejudo was beaten in the first period, but managed to win the final two to proceed to the next round.
The 2008 Olympic final matched Cejudo against Japanese phenom Tomohiro Matsunaga. Despite the opposition, Cejudo was calm. He dismantled Matsunaga, becoming the youngest American to ever win the final.
After failing to qualify for the 2012 Olympic team, Cejudo decided it was time for a new career path. He announced his decision to pursue a mixed martial arts career in January 2013; within 12 months, his record would be an astounding 6-0.
Cejudo’s aptitude for MMA was staggering. His grappling skills were obviously top-shelf, but his little-discussed experience in Golden Gloves boxing also gave him a striking pedigree. Afer his sixth professional fight, the UFC signed him to a deal.
Cejudo was scheduled to make his UFC debut against Scott Jorgensen, but failed to make weight and was pulled from the fight. It was not the first time Cejudo had weight issues, and onlookers began to question his dedication to the sport. He was forced to move to bantamweight for a single fight before being granted another chance at flyweight by the UFC. Since then, he has made weight every time, and his four consecutive UFC victories earned him a shot at champion Demetrious Johnson at UFC 197.
Johnson may well be the greatest fighter of all time, but Cejudo has more than a fighting chance to beat him. His wrestling is unlike any Johnson has faced, and his boxing is good enough to keep him in the fight.
Cejudo has overcome much in his life. If he is able to beat Johnson and capture the gold, he may go down as the greatest combat sports athlete in history.