Fighters Only : Henry Cejudo says he's out of UFC 291, vows to return to challenge for UFC title

Simon Head

Jun 30, 2023

Henry Cejudo's upcoming bout at UFC 292 is now off, according to the man himself.

Cejudo, who fell short against Aljamain Sterling in his comeback title fight at UFC 288 in May, was booked to face Marlon Vera at UFC 292 in Boston on August 19. But the former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion revealed on social media that he has been forced to withdraw from the matchup due to injury.

"Unfortunately, due to my right shoulder, I won’t be able to fight," he said in a video posted to his Instagram.

"Guys, I’ve already torn my left shoulder, where I was out for about a year. I don’t want it to tear further than what it already is. There’s a tear in there, guys. The cat’s out of the bag. It is actually a 50 percent tear."

In the accompanying post, Cejudo added, "I'm unfortunately not going to be able to compete on August 19 at UFC 291. I got an MRI on my right shoulder that revealed a tear that requires 6-8 weeks of rehab.

"I stretched it out as far as I could because I love that Chito matchup, but between my shoulder and my baby expected on October 25, it’s the best decision for me and my family to not fight in August."

Cejudo stressed that his enforced withdrawal from UFC 292 didn't impact his overall comeback plans, with his aim to recapture UFC championship gold still uppermost in his mind.

"Nothing changes with my future goals. I want my title back," he stated.

"When I’m back to 100 percent, you’ll see me in the Octagon again. But until then, I need to heal.

"I hope the UFC can find a replacement to fight Chito so he could stay on the card, I would’ve loved to fight him in Boston on the 15-year anniversary of my gold medal. But I’ll be back."

Cejudo's withdrawal leaves the fight card for UFC 292 with 10 confirmed fights. The event is set to be headlined by a bantamweight title fight between champion Aljamain Sterling and Sean O'Malley, while women's strawweight champion Zhang Weili will put her title on the line against Amanda Lemos in the co-main event.