Back in 2008, Henry Cejudo became the youngest wrestler from the United States to win a gold medal at the Olympics in freestyle wrestling. After coming back for one last run in 2012, Cejudo left his shoes on the mat and retired from competition.

While he retired from wrestling, his wrestling skills are still used today in the world of Mixed Martial Arts. On July 25, Cejudo signed on with MMA's biggest promotion, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and was booked for a fight against former Boise State wrestler Scott Jorgensen on August 30.

On Episode 85 of the Short Time Wrestling Podcast, Henry Cejudo answers these questions and more.

  • You won two state championships in Arizona before moving to Colorado and winning two more. How hard was it for you to keep your focus on wrestling high school kids when you were traveling the world?
  • You had a few battles with Russia's Besik Kudukhov. He was killed in a car accident late in 2013. What were some things that made Kudukov one of the best in the world?
  • After 2008, you took a lot of time away from wrestling and you were contemplating where you were going to train towards 2012. Do you look back on that and say “Man, I wish I would have trained here instead of doing something else?”
  • You were recently signed to the UFC. Your professional record according to Sherdog.com is 6-0. You'd had issues with your weight with Legacy. Do you feel you're ready for the UFC?
  • Your first fight in the UFC at UFC 177 will be on August 30 when you take on Scott Jorgensen. He's a guy who came so close in college, finishing just short of All-American honors in the Round of 12 on three different occasions. You've won an Olympic gold, he was never an All-American. How dangerous do you think that might make him as an opponent?
  • Fargo just finished up. You had some battles with guys like Spenser Mango, Brad Pataky and you won five titles from 2002-2004. What were some of your best memories about Fargo other than the championships.

Follow Henry on Twitter @HenryCejudo

Short Time is proudly sponsored by Flipswrestling. Share your attitude and be heard at Flipswrestling.com

Liked it? Take a second to support Mat Talk Online on Patreon!
Become a patron at Patreon!
Share This