Former UFC champions Israel Adesanya and Henry Cejudo recently shared a poignant moment, burying their past animosity during a recording of Cejudo`s Pound 4 Pound podcast.
Their bad blood dates back to September 2020 at UFC 253. Following Adesanya`s successful middleweight title defense against Paulo Costa, a post-fight confrontation occurred between Adesanya and Costa`s corner Eric Albarracin, who is a coach and close friend of Cejudo`s. This incident prompted public criticism from Cejudo towards Adesanya, leading Adesanya to famously retort by calling Cejudo a “little f*cking b*tch.”
Much has transpired since that time. Adesanya has lost his middleweight title, reclaimed it, and then lost it once more. Cejudo, after coming out of retirement, has faced difficulties, including a recent loss to Song Yadong marked by a severe eye poke, which has led him to contemplate retirement again.
During Adesanya`s guest appearance on the podcast, co-hosted by Kamaru Usman, Cejudo took the opportunity towards the end of the recording to offer an apology for their historical conflict.
Cejudo addressed Adesanya, saying, “Thanks, Israel. Thanks, man. I seriously hated on you like you wouldn’t believe because haters are your biggest fans, and what you’ve been able to do not being a f*cking wrestler, to me that’s impressive. Coming from the wrestling background, 85 percent of all champions have all come from the sport of wrestling, so what you’ve been able to do, f*ck, congratulations.”
He then added, “I don’t know if it’s too late to say I’m sorry?”
Adesanya graciously accepted the apology, sharing a laugh with Cejudo in return.
“I only got annoyed,” Adesanya explained, “because I was, like, ‘Man, we were cool in Australia. Why’d he start hating on me?’ And then I was a little bit maybe salty. But for me, I respect you because of your game. Your mind. I see the way you fight, I see the way you operate, and, man, one of the best ever.”
He concluded, “So thank you for saying that. And no need for apologies, it’s already been water under the bridge. I don’t hold on to grudges unless it pays to be petty, but this doesn’t, so I love you.”
Cejudo lightened the mood following the heartfelt exchange, joking that the moment was becoming overly emotional for everyone involved.
He quipped, “You guys got some tissue?”
Between them, Adesanya, Cejudo, and Usman are among the most decorated figures in combat sports history. Adesanya has competed across MMA, kickboxing, and boxing, securing the UFC middleweight title twice. Cejudo holds an Olympic gold medal in wrestling and is a former two-division UFC champion (bantamweight and flyweight). Usman reigned as the UFC welterweight champion from 2019 to 2022, setting a divisional record with 15 consecutive wins.
Despite their esteemed careers, all three have recently faced setbacks, having lost their last three fights, a point Cejudo couldn`t resist making a humorous remark about.
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