Phoenix native Henry Cejudo headlines UFC Fight Night at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena on Feb. 22, taking on Song Yadong in a battle of bantamweight contenders.
Cejudo (16-4) is a former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion out of the Maryvale neighborhood who also won Olympic freestyle wrestling gold in 2008. Before a three-year retirement from mixed martial arts fighting, Cejudo became just the fourth fighter in UFC history to hold two titles simultaneously.
Cejudo holds notable MMA wins over TJ Dillashaw, Demetrious Johnson and Marlon Moraes. He retired in 2020 after a win over Dominick Cruz in 2020, then returned in 2023 to fight in UFC 288.
Now 37 years old, Cejudo hasn’t fought in a year and has lost his first two fights since his comeback.
Song (21-8-1) is to appear in his fourth UFC main event. The 27-year-old from China has bantamweight wins over Chris Gutierrez, Ricky Sumon and Moraes. A win over Cejudo would be his most high-profile victory.
Cejudo is currently the No. 7-ranked bantamweight and Song is No. 8 in UFC in that weight class.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Henry Cejudo, a 3-time former UFC champion, fights Feb. 22 in Seattle
