Cejudo Tells Pereira: You've Skipped the Line Long Enough
“You've skipped the line long enough.”
Henry Cejudo says Alex Pereira is a bit spoiled, blew his first heavyweight shot, and needs two or three more wins.
"You've skipped the line long enough."
Henry Cejudo said that to Alex Pereira this week, and he did not soften it. Cejudo called Pereira "a bit spoiled" on the Pound 4 Pound podcast with Kamaru Usman.
That is a former two-division champion talking to another one. Cejudo says Pereira needs to work his way back up the heavyweight title picture, not complain his way back into it.
Why Pereira Is Complaining
Pereira protested his TKO loss to Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250 in June. He felt referee Herb Dean missed shots to the back of his head.
He also took issue with the UFC's next move. The promotion gave Josh Hokit the first shot at Gane, at UFC 334 on Nov. 14, instead of a Pereira rematch.
Cejudo agreed on one point only. He said the illegal blows were real, but he also said a Gane jab wobbled Pereira and the fight was turning.
The Debut Problem
That Gane fight was Pereira's first fight at heavyweight. It was also a shot at the interim title, on the White House card.
Cejudo's point is simple. A man with no heavyweight fights got that chance, lost, and still expected the next one. In his words, there is no complaining here.
"You've skipped the line long enough."
Pereira is 13-4 in MMA and 10-3 in the UFC. Those numbers bought him fast chances in two divisions. Cejudo says heavyweight will not work the same way.
Pavlovich Is The Test
Pereira gets his next chance on Dec. 12. He meets Sergei Pavlovich in a five-round bout that co-headlines UFC 335 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Pavlovich is 20-3 in MMA and 9-3 in the UFC. He is a real heavyweight with real power, not a welcome gift for a famous name.
Cejudo says Pereira needs at least two or three more wins before another title shot. Beat Pavlovich, and the count starts at one. Lose, and the line gets much longer.
So is Cejudo right — has Pereira been spoiled, or does a two-division champion deserve a faster road back?
