Soon after defeating Aljamain Sterling, Sean O’Malley immediately began sizing up the division’s other top names. But when he turned his attention to veteran and Olympic legend Henry Cejudo, ‘Suga’ took a more personal route. “I literally just remembered how short Henry is and spit out my coffee I was loling so hard,” O’Malley tweeted about Cejudo’s height.

Unsurprisingly, the comment drew criticism from fans, who felt it was unfair to mock a fighter with Cejudo’s rare achievements in both the UFC and the Olympics. His accomplishments in MMA and freestyle wrestling speak for themselves, regardless of his height. Now, the former two-division champion is set to make his final Octagon appearance this weekend at UFC 323. So, what is Henry Cejudo’s actual height?

How tall is Henry Cejudo? Height and weight comparisons

Despite rivals mocking his height, Henry Cejudo never took it personally, knowing that his actions speak louder than words. Born the second youngest of seven siblings, Cejudo stands at 5’4″ (163 cm), but his height never held him back. Alongside Demetrious Johnson, he became one of the shortest UFC champions in history.

“This is a conversation for us short kings here… A lot of times people think because you’re short it’s a disadvantage. Not really.” Henry Cejudo emphasized this on his YouTube channel. Fighting out of California, ‘Triple C’ is widely regarded as one of the most skilled and accomplished athletes in MMA and wrestling, but did you know he also used to box?

Henry Cejudo’s 67.5-inch reach: Fighting in different weight divisions

After failing to qualify for the 2012 United States Olympic team, Cejudo retired from wrestling and turned to boxing in search of a livelihood. At first, he considered trying out for the Olympic boxing team, but he eventually abandoned that plan and moved into MMA. With his 67.5-inch reach, he first gained experience and earned money through boxing to survive.

“We used to box quite a bit in our neighborhood when I was growing up,” Cejudo said. “We were poor and didn’t have any money–we had to fight to survive.”

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After more than four and a half years in boxing, during which he also won the State of Arizona Bronze Gloves Championship, Henry Cejudo made the move to MMA. The transition proved successful, as he first claimed the flyweight belt by defeating Demetrious Johnson and later captured the vacant bantamweight belt with a win over Marlon Moraes.

Why Henry Cejudo’s size disadvantage never stopped his success

Athletes like Henry Cejudo and Demetrious Johnson proved height critics wrong with their skills at the highest level. In Cejudo’s case, he has stood out since leaving his teenage years behind. In 2008, at just 21 years old, he became the youngest fighter to set a record that would remain unmatched for a decade. Over the course of his career, ‘Triple C’s height turned into one of his key advantages, with science highlighting the benefits of being shorter in combat.

“You’re more explosive, you’re harder to take down because of the level change… In other words, being short fighting somebody that has more length, there’s more body to grab.” Henry Cejudo said this on his YouTube channel in 2023 while discussing the Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski matchup.

Even with all the skills and experience on his side, age can catch up to any fighter. For 38-year-old Henry Cejudo, who has gone 0-3 since coming out of his brief retirement, this has been a tough reality. This week, he aims to close his fighting chapter with a performance retirement against a 5’10” Payton Talbott. Will he succeed? Share your prediction below.