While I wasn't really a huge fan of Cejudo and thought that his retirement was actually a good thing for both him and the sport, I am pleased that he will be returning to hopefully silence one of my most hated fighters in UFC of all time.
Aljamain Sterling is one of the most boring champions the UFC has ever seen. I get that he is technically gifted but this doesn't change the fact that grapplers who don't have much of a striking game bore me and for the most part the rest of the UFC fanbase as well. He is nicknamed the "human backpack" and while I think this was meant as being flattering, it is an accurate representation of his fighting style because he just takes your back, and then stays there for what seems like an eternity, normally doing very little damage in the process.
Cejudo on the other hand is a very scrappy fighter, wrestler, and BJJ fighter that can impress no matter what the situation calls for. This is why he is a former 2 division champion and while he was never Conon McGregor huge, he was liked by almost everyone. His retirement wasn't a surprise because he had been talking about it for a long time before it happened but it didn't take long before he decided to come back. I suspected when the "retirement" happened that he did this only because he was seeking more money. Money that he didn't think he would be offered if he signed a new contract while he was still champion.
I obviously have no actual proof that it is the case but since there is always a lot of talk about UFC's relatively low pay scheme, some fighters have to go to rather extreme measures in order to get what they feel they deserve.
I wouldn't say that I am a huge fan of Cejudo, but he's harmless, relatively pleasant in interviews, and certainly puts on a show in the octagon. Sterling on the other hand, is one of the most boring champions of all time.
My disdain for Sterling began at UFC 258 where it was already kind of boring because it was those strange Covid fights where there was no crowd. That obviously wasn't his fault and neither was the illegal knee done by Petr Yan. What is Sterling's fault is the way he reacted to the knee, and how he handled it both in the ring and during interviews afterwards.
Sterling was losing that fight against Yan by almost any metric when the knee happened. It was a terrible mistake on Yan's part but the ring doctor gave permission to continue as Sterling was rolling around on the ground in what most perceived to be fake agony. It's quite obvious why he was doing this and that is because if he just stayed down and said he couldn't continue, he was going to leave there with the belt by disqualification. He was teary-eyed during the belt presentation and claimed he "didn't want to win like that." Sure buddy, whatever.
If he had just continued the fight and inevitably lost on points he would have had a lot more respect in the MMA community and almost certainly would have done a lot for his name as well as the notoriety and popularity of the rematch. Instead, he became a whiner when he followed up at interviews claiming that he was barely conscious after the knee even though his behavior after the knee indicated anything but that. Take it from someone that has been KO'd several times in his life... When you are really KO'd or near KO'd, you don't have the wherewithal to be giving interviews and talking to ring personnel.
To make matters worse, he has actually come out and started to berate Cejudo before the upcoming UFC 288 where the two will match up saying things like "I can't believe that people are actually excited for that guy to be coming back to the UFC." Well, I'll go ahead and say this: If fans didn't dislike you so much Sterling, they probably wouldn't be. The main reason why anyone is excited for his return is the hopes that he is going to humble you in the Octagon and take that belt away from an undeserved champion.
I believe the hopes of the UFC is that Cejudo is going to take the belt so that new life can be breathed into the once exciting bantamweight division.
Another thing that bothers me is the fact that Cejudo is being given an immediate shot at the belt and this is something that I have always disliked about the UFC. Their matchups are based not on ranking or who deserves a shot at the belt, but rather, who they think is going to create the most hype surrounding the fight. I get it ok? All sports are about making money but I am getting sick and tired of someone completely bypassing the ranking system and getting an immediate shot at the top spot.
That being said, I am excited to see Henry Cejudo beat the living hell out of the fakester "human backpack."