Former two-division champion Henry Cejudo confirmed that his public firing of longtime coach Eric Albarracin before UFC 298 was just a prank.
So, Henry Cejudo didn’t really give his coach, Eric Albarracin, the boot before UFC 298. That’s right. The ex-two-division champ seemed to confirm what many had guessed. The so-called “firing” of Albarracin? Just a gag before his crucial bout with Merab Dvalishvili.
Albarracin had a thing or two to say about it. “Bill Bellicheck, Tom Brady, Phil Jackson, Michael Jordan, c’mon, you think they would ever break up? C’mon, man,” he told a crowd on an Instagram video. The video was posted by none other than Cejudo himself.
Remember the UFC 298 Countdown show? Cejudo had fans and MMA pundits squirming. He seemed to sack Albarracin before his fight with Dvalishvili. The fight was set for Saturday in Anaheim, Calif.
“You were with me from my last Olympic trials, you’ve been there for me,” Cejudo told Albarracin. “But, as of right now, I just want to let you know that for this camp, dude, I’m getting rid of specific coaches, man. That’s you included, dude.” Ouch.
Albarracin, though, had a response. “The goal has always been the same,” he said. “For you to be the greatest combat sports athlete of all time. And to me, that was a dream come true.”
There was a lot of chatter about the firing’s authenticity. Alexander Volkanovski, UFC 298 headliner, had some harsh words if it was real. He called the ex-UFC champ “a piece of s***,” in an interview with The Mac Life. MMA coach Ray Longo echoed the sentiment, calling it a “piece of s*** scumbag move” by Cejudo. Matt Brown, a welterweight veteran, questioned why it had to be done in public.
But now, it seems the move was just another one of Cejudo’s engagement tactics. Remember UFC 288? Cejudo failed to regain the UFC bantamweight title after three years of retirement.
After making amends, Cejudo left Albarracin hanging with a high five and a bro hug. But he did give “Captain Eric” a pile of branded Cejudo gear.
“Just so you guys know, this is the greatest combat coach of all time,” Cejudo declared. “This is an unbreakable bond.”
Albarracin had the last word. “Let’s go, UFC 298, we’re taking over,” he said. “I’m going to be sitting, drinking Team Secret Juice, [in the] front row, watching Cejudo take out Merab Dvalishvili, and stamp another title shot, become C4 [win four UFC titles].”
Is Albarracin’s front row seat also a coaching role on Saturday night? Who knows. But at least on camera, he seems to be back in Cejudo’s good books. And Cejudo? Well, he had a blast messing with his audience.
“Got ‘em!” Cejudo told the crowd. Classic.