UFC 249 free fight: Henry Cejudo stages comeback to finish Marlon Moraes, capture bantamweight title

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UFC 249 free fight: Henry Cejudo stages comeback to finish Marlon Moraes, capture bantamweight title

After cementing his spot as the top flyweight fighter on the planet, Henry Cejudo moved up in weight and added more gold to his athletic legacy.

Following his blistering 32-second finish of then-bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw in his final flyweight title defense, Cejudo (15-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) took on Brazilian Marlon Moraes for the vacant bantamweight title, after Dillashaw was stripped of his belt following a failed drug test.

Cejudo had to battle through early adversity against Moraes at UFC 238 as Moraes viciously attacked Cejudo’s legs, while looking to take his head off with snapping, powerful punches in the opening stages of the fight.

But Cejudo was able to weather the storm, and, when Moraes’ high pace started taking a toll on the Brazilian’s gas tank, Cejudo capitalized. The American found success in the clinch with a succession of brutal knees, before eventually dragging a fatigued Moraes to the mat and unloading a barrage of ground and pound.

Cejudo eventually earned the stoppage win late in Round 3, to join an elite few to hold two UFC titles simultaneously. It was the birth of “Triple C,” but Cejudo would later relinquish his flyweight title to focus on his career at 135 pounds.

Before he makes his first bantamweight title defense against two-time former champion Dominick Cruz at UFC 249, check out Cejudo’s championship-winning performance over Moraes in the video above.

UFC 249 takes place May 9 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The main card streams on pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.

UFC 249 free fight: Henry Cejudo stages comeback to finish Marlon Moraes, capture bantamweight title