November 22, 2024

Demetrious Johnson vs. Henry Cejudo 2 booked for UFC 227

MMAfighting.com

For Demetrious Johnson to make it to a dozen successful title defenses, he’ll have to defeat one of his most decorated opponents — again.

On Saturday’s UFC 225 Fight Pass prelims broadcast, the promotion announced that Johnson will defend his flyweight championship in a rematch against Henry Cejudo at UFC 227 on Aug. 4 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Johnson, 31, defeated Cejudo via first-round TKO in their first meeting at UFC 197 on Apr. 16, 2016. That was the first defeat for Cejudo after starting his career 10-0.

A gold medal-winning Olympic wrestler, Cejudo (12-2) dropped a close split decision to two-time flyweight title challenger Joseph Benavidez in his next fight, then rebounded with consecutive victories over Wilson Reis and Sergio Pettis. The 31-year-old Cejudo has long been campaigningfor a rematch with Johnson, and “Mighty Mouse” agreed that the bout would likely materialize if Cejudo got past Pettis.

In his last outing at UFC 216 last October, Johnson defeated Ray Borg with a spectacular fifth-round armbar submission to break middleweight legend Anderson Silva’s record of consecutive successful UFC championship defenses, a performance that captured MMA Fighting’s Submission of the Year honors. Johnson is 15-1-1 in the UFC and has never lost at 125 pounds.

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