Henry Cejudo selected as USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week

Henry Cejudo (Tempe, Ariz.) has been selected as TheMat.com Athlete of the Week for Aug. 7, 2018.

A 2008 Olympic champion in freestyle and the youngest to do it at the time, Cejudo added to his impressive resume, taking out 11-time defending UFC flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson on Saturday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles as part of UFC 227.

The flyweight (125 lbs.) championship bout was the co-main event and a rematch of their title fight in 2016, where Mighty Mouse, who has held onto the title for six-straight years, won by knockout.

After five rounds, Cejudo’s hand was raised in a tight split-decision victory, 48-47, 48-47, 47-48, thanks, in part, to his background in wrestling.

With the win, Cejudo, also known as The Messenger, became the first Olympic champion to win a UFC title. This feat came just two months after he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member, the highest honor.

Cejudo was a two-time high school Arizona state champion and a two-time Colorado state champion. While still in high school, Cejudo won the Senior freestyle U.S. Open and was a Junior World medalist. He lived and trained at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs during his wrestling career.

Each week USA Wrestling will select an Athlete of the Week based upon performance within wrestling for that week. The selection committee will consider any level of wrestling from youth programs through the senior level. Twitter fan votes also play a part in decision.

To nominate a wrestler for this honor please send the athlete's name, wrestling program, weekly accomplishments and career accolades to USA Wrestling Communications Coordinator Taylor Miller at tmiller@usawrestling.org.