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Demetrious Johnson Defends Henry Cejudo as Controversial Scorecard Debate Takes Centre Stage After UFC 288

Published 05/07/2023, 3:53 AM EDT

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After Henry Cejudo had a disappointing night at the office at UFC 288, rival-turned-friend Demetrious Johnson came to his defense. Cejudo faced Aljamain Sterling in the main event for the UFC bantamweight championship. However, ‘Funkmaster’ foiled ‘Triple C’s plans to regain his throne with a split decision win over the 36-year-old.

The fight was as close as can be, with both competitors matching each other on the feet and on the ground. Both made adjustments throughout the fight and fought tooth and nail not to concede anything. At the end of five hard-fought rounds, two out of three judges gave the fight to Sterling.

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However, this scorecard created a division in the MMA community. Many of them argued that it should have been in favor of Cejudo. His close friend and training partner Demetrious Johnson also shared the same opinion.

Demetrious Johnson defends Henry Cejudo

Demetrious Johnson and Henry Cejudo had one of the most memorable rivalries in MMA history. Over their two bouts in the UFC, they are one apiece. Currently, Johnson is tearing it up in ONE Championship. Over the past weekend, he won his trilogy bout against Adrian Moraes and is in the MMA GOAT conversations.

Meanwhile, Cejudo faltered in his journey to MMA glory after returning from a three-year layoff. But Johnson does not believe he did. After the scorecards were announced, ‘Mighty Mouse’ took to Twitter to make his stance clear.

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He wrote, 3-2 henry #andnew.”

Cejudo and Johnson have been training together for a long while now. The pair also wished each other on social media ahead of their respective title bouts over the weekend. The two legendary former UFC flyweight champions are two of the greatest martial arts minds of the modern day. Therefore, Johnson couldn’t sit back while he thought his friend was robbed of a deserving win.

Read More“Ahaha OMG” – Conor McGregor Goes Berserk After “Stripper” Henry Cejudo Led to Retirement Scare Post Aljamain Sterling Loss at UFC 288

Johnson was not the only one who thought Cejudo won. Fellow Dominance MMA star Kelvin Gastelum also tweeted in support of the former ‘champ champ’ after his loss. He too wrote, “3-2 Henry.”

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Cejudo took the loss really hard. In his post-fight speech, the former two-division champ hinted at retirement after failing to realize his goal.

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Watch This StoryWhy is Henry Cejudo called ‘Triple C’?

Do you think these messages from his friends will help him? And do you agree with these scorecards? How did you score the contest? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Yeswanth Praveen

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Yeswanth Praveen is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports, having written over 500 articles on the sport. With a Master’s degree in English Literature, Yeswanth expertly combines his writing and storytelling skills with his passion for MMA. He was initially drawn to the sport after the intense rivalry between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov captured his attention.
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Edited by:

Anuj Jacob