The two prominent fighters had a history of bad blood, stemming back to September 2020 after UFC 253. Following Adesanya`s successful middleweight title defense against Paulo Costa, he had a tense confrontation with Costa’s cornerman, Eric Albarracin, who is a coach and close friend of Cejudo. This incident prompted Cejudo to criticize Adesanya, leading Adesanya to famously respond by calling Cejudo a “little f*cking b*tch.”
Much has changed for both athletes since that time. Adesanya lost his middleweight title, won it back, and subsequently lost it again. Cejudo has faced challenges since returning from retirement and is once more considering stepping away from the sport following a difficult loss to Song Yadong, marked by a brutal eye poke.
During Adesanya`s guest spot on the podcast co-hosted by Cejudo and Kamaru Usman, Cejudo took the opportunity at the end of the recording to apologize for their past conflict.
“Thanks, Israel,” Cejudo began. “Thanks, man. I f*cking 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 received the apology warmly, sharing a laugh with Cejudo in response.
“I only got salty because I was, like, ‘Man, we were cool in Australia. Why’d he start hating on me?’” Adesanya explained. “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 by expressing forgiveness, stating, “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.”
Lightening the mood after the emotional exchange, Cejudo joked, “You guys got some tissue?”
Collectively, Adesanya, Cejudo, and Usman represent some of the most decorated combat sports athletes of their era. Adesanya is a two-time UFC middleweight champion with extensive experience in kickboxing and boxing. Cejudo holds an Olympic gold medal in wrestling and captured UFC titles in both the bantamweight and flyweight divisions. Usman reigned as the UFC welterweight champion from 2019 to 2022 and holds the record for the most consecutive wins in that division at 15.
Despite their illustrious histories, all three have recently faced setbacks, having lost their past three fights – a point Cejudo couldn`t resist making a humorous remark about.
Wesley Dunham