February 11, 2024 5:10 pm ET
Henry Cejudo has made some big changes ahead of his return.
The former two-division champion has parted ways with longtime coach Eric Albarracin ahead of his bout against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 298 on Saturday in Anaheim, Calif. Albarracin was one of several people Cejudo (16-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) dropped in efforts to reduce his team size. The news of the change was revealed during the UFC’s “Countdown” preview show.
“You were with me for my last Olympic trials, and you’ve been there for me, but as of right now, I just want to let you know that for this camp, dude, I’m getting rid of specific coaches – and that’s you included,” Cejudo said to Albarracin.
Albarracin has been working with Cejudo since his wrestling days, well before he started fighting professionally in MMA.
Cejudo, who’s still preparing at Fight Ready in Arizona, said he wanted to trim down his team and keep things simpler ahead of UFC 298.
“Sometimes you get too close to somebody and people just get too comfortable. … Right now, what I want to do in this fight camp is keep it strictly business.”
Cejudo, 36, returns to action after failing to capture the UFC bantamweight title in May 2023 in a competitive fight against then-champion Aljamain Sterling. It was his first fight since he retired in May 2020 after a bantamweight title win over Dominick Cruz.
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