Demetrious Johnson Reveals How Arch-Rival Henry Cejudo Helped Him in His Personal Life

Henry Cejudo is undoubtedly one of the greatest featherweights in the history of mixed martial arts. He is the only person to win an Olympic gold medal and a UFC title. Cejudo retired from MMA in 2020. However, ‘Triple C’ couldn’t remain out of the octagon for long, and has recently decided to return.

Cejudo faces Aljamain Sterling for the UFC featherweight title at UFC 288 on May 6th. The featherweight landscape could be set for a seismic shift with Cejudo‘s return to the octagon. Cejudo’s achievements inside the cage are truly inspirational. However, fans recently found out that Cejudo has been a source of inspiration outside the cage too.

Demetrious Johnson names Henry Cejudo as his inspiration

Cejudo’s former rival, Demetrious Johnson appeared on the MMA Hour Show with Ariel Helwani recently. There, he mentioned how the 36-year-old MMA fighter has inspired him outside the fighting realm. While talking about taking up ventures outside fighting, Johnson talked about how Cejudo once told him that he is earning well without fighting.

‘Triple C’ even revealed his income to Johnson. Johnson was inspired by Cejudo‘s ability to take time off from fighting and still maintain his financial stability. Johnson stated that he too could follow Cejudo‘s example and take a break from fighting while still maintaining his financial security.

Read More – Henry Cejudo Issues a Warning as He Gets Back to UFC Roster After 3 Years

“When I talked to Henry, he goes ‘man I made good money last year’. He goes ‘I’ll tell you that number’. He told me the number and I was like ‘why you come back to fight?’ So he goes because ‘I want to’ and I’m like ‘hey more power to you’. So he’s been able to take four years off, three to four years off, and still make great money without fighting by just hustling. That inspired me and I’m like you know what I can do that too.”

The history between Henry Cejudo and Demetrious Johnson

Both Cejudo and Johnson are pioneers in MMA. The two fighters have faced each other twice in the octagon. The first fight took place at UFC 197 where Johnson was defending his title against Cejudo. Johnson won the fight via TKO in the first round.

However, the Olympic gold medalist settled the score two years later at UFC 227. Cejudo was able to pull off a split decision victory to win the UFC Flyweight Championship. Ever since then, there has been nothing but respect between both the legends.

Watch This Story – Stephen Thompson and Aljamain Sterling Fail to Break Joe Rogan’s Record

Johnson‘s comments about Cejudo show that there is mutual admiration between the two fighters. This is a rare sight in the brutal sport that MMA is. How do you think Cejudo will fair in his return? Let us know in the comments below.