Henry Cejudo was flying high after becoming the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s latest two-division titleholder. Cejudo scored a TKO win over Marlon Moraes at UFC 238 in Chicago to claim the vacant bantamweight championship, but now he must wait until he can defend his 125- or 135-pound title.
According to a report from ESPN.com’s Ariel Helwani, Cejudo, only the fourth two-division UFC champion, underwent shoulder surgery that is expected to sideline him for the remainder of 2019.
Cejudo (15-2) tore his subscapularis muscle in his left shoulder during the win over Moraes and underwent surgery on Wednesday, June 19. The timeline for the Olympic gold medalist’s recovery if four to five months.
When the medical suspensions were announced by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation’s Boxing following UFC 238, it was reported that Cejudo would need a physician’s clearance before returning to action, however, a specific injury was not announced.
The longest suspension from the event went to Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, who is suspended indefinitely until he receives a physician’s clearance following a CT scan of his facial bones and MRI of his head. Jessica Eye, who was brutally knocked out in the co-main event, is suspended for 120 days and will also need a CT scan.
Cejudo’s layoff comes after a busy start to 2019 where he has scored two TKO wins. In January 2019, Cejudo knocked out former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw in just 30 seconds. Following the bout, Dillashaw tested positive for erythropoietin (EPO) and was stripped of his 135-pound title which Cejudo would go on to claim with his win over Moraes. Dillashaw has since been suspended for two years by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
In his lone fight in 2018, Cejudo scored a stunning unanimous decision win over longtime flyweight king Demetrious Johnson to claim the flyweight belt. Cejudo is currently on a five-fight winning streak and has not lost since December 2016.
