During his streak of 11 consecutive flyweight title defenses, Demetrious Johnson rarely lost rounds as he usually outclassed every opponent put in front of him.
Henry Cejudo was one of those victims, losing to “Mighty Mouse” by technical knockout in the first round at UFC 197 in April 2016. The Olympic gold medalist continued to improve after that setback, and he entered the rematch at UFC 227 on a three-fight winning streak. In a tension-filled bout, Cejudo emerged with a split-decision triumph at the Staples Center in Los Angeles in a strong 2018 “Upset of the Year” candidate.
When Cejudo made his MMA debut on the regional circuit, Johnson was already flyweight champion. A little more seasoning was all an athlete of Cejudo’s caliber needed to pull an upset. Even then, the scorecards could have just as easily gone against him.
“It was a close fight. Demetrious is a guy that you really have to adjust to. That’s all it was. I know it could’ve gone either way…