Former rivals Israel Adesanya and Henry Cejudo recently cleared the air and squashed their long-standing beef during an appearance on Cejudo’s Pound 4 Pound podcast.
Their history of animosity dates back to September 2020 at UFC 253. Following Adesanya`s successful middleweight title defense against Paulo Costa, he had a heated moment with Costa’s cornerman Eric Albarracin. As Albarracin is a close friend and coach of Cejudo’s, this incident led to Cejudo publicly criticizing Adesanya. Adesanya responded pointedly at the time, famously calling Cejudo a “little f*cking b*tch.”
The landscape has shifted significantly since that initial clash. Adesanya has lost his middleweight title, reclaimed it, and then lost it once more. Cejudo, having returned from retirement, has faced challenges and is again considering hanging up his gloves, especially after suffering a brutal eye poke in his recent loss to Song Yadong.
During Adesanya’s visit to the podcast, co-hosted by Kamaru Usman, Cejudo took the opportunity at the end of the recording to issue an apology for their past conflict.
“Thanks, Israel,” Cejudo said. “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 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.
“I only got salty because I was, like, ‘Man, we were cool in Australia. Why’d he start hating on me?’” Adesanya responded. “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.
“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.”
Cejudo then lightheartedly commented on the emotional nature of the moment.
“You guys got some tissue?” Cejudo quipped.
Combined, Adesanya, Cejudo, and Usman represent a remarkable collection of talent and achievements in combat sports history. Adesanya is a two-time UFC middleweight champion with a background in kickboxing and boxing. Cejudo holds an Olympic gold medal in wrestling and is a former two-division UFC champion at bantamweight and flyweight. Usman reigned as welterweight champion from 2019 to 2022 and holds the record for most consecutive wins in the UFC welterweight division.
Despite their illustrious careers, all three have encountered difficulties in recent times, each currently facing a three-fight losing streak – a fact Cejudo humorously pointed out.
