Was Henry Cejudo’s Belt Really Stolen?

By Arslan Saleem April 10, 2025 16:09

On April 8, 2025, a strange rumor came out in the MMA community: Former UFC two-division champion Henry Cejudo had his first UFC title belt of his career allegedly stolen.

The twist? This came after he was a hero and chased down a suspect in a different crime.

For a fighter who has been accustomed to Olympic gold and octagon supremacy, this strange moment has left some wondering.

Here’s a breakdown of what’s known about Cejudo’s legendary career and the murky details of this alleged theft.

The Incident

The reports that first came out painted a wild picture. Cejudo, now 38, was apparently involved in some kind of altercation or citizen’s arrest. Details are thin on it, but it’s said he apprehended a suspect tied to a separate crime.

Somewhere in the chaos, his original UFC championship belt vanished. Was it snatched by the suspect? Left behind in the wreckage? No one knows yet, and official statements from Cejudo or the UFC haven't illuminated the issue yet.

However, Cejudo is not a novelty to the tabloids, but this is more scripted than a typical fighter's story. The belt on the line here is not a prize, it's evidence of his elevation from Olympic grappling to MMA champion. To be stripped of it in this way, if at all true, adds a curious page to his book.

Cejudo's Legacy

To see why this matters, consider Cejudo's career. He won his first UFC gold on August 4, 2018, at UFC 227, shocking the flyweight division with a knockout of Demetrious Johnson, then widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

That victory broke Johnson's 11-fight title streak and made Cejudo, a 2008 Olympic wrestling champion, a two-sport monarch. The title from that evening was his first UFC title, a well-earned prize for his upset win. This victory also made him a betting favorite in the fights thereafter.

A lot of time has passed since then, and a new generation of fighters is showing off their skills in the octagon, like Ian Machado Garry with an impressive score of 15-1-0, with an upcoming fight against Carlos Prates on April 27. For fans looking forward to the match and willing to put their prediction to the test, the bonus code offered over on Vegas Insider can be used for the upcoming MMA and even boxing events.

After his first victory, he did not rest there, though. On June 8, 2019, at UFC 238, Cejudo defeated Marlon Moraes for the vacant bantamweight title, becoming an unusual "champ-champ" with two belts simultaneously.

That second belt made him, but that flyweight one—the one that was supposedly stolen—was where everything began, an entry point. He relinquished the flyweight title in 2019 and lost the bantamweight belt to Aljamain Sterling in 2023 before retiring as a fighter. Those belts are history, so to have one stolen by a thief hurts that much more. Sorry for the hassle, we received the feedback a bit too late after the publication, so we were working with what we had.

What Really Happened?

The event remains unclear. X's tweets and initial web accounts put Cejudo in Arizona, his native state, at the time of the incident. Some claim he chased a man who was a participant in a minor crime—a burglary or a theft—and tackled him.

During the scuffle, the belt somehow vanished. Was it in his vehicle? On the wall at home? Nobody has come forward to say for sure where it was or how it vanished.

Cejudo has been quiet so far, which is not typical of him as he generally jokes or brags. The UFC was quiet, too, so it will be left to the fans and the press to connect the dots.

Is it a PR stunt? Misunderstanding? Or did a finger-licking opportunist steal a piece of MMA history? Without police statements or Cejudo's version, everything is speculation for now.

Henry Cejudo's career has been one of beating the odds - gold medals at the Olympics at 21, UFC championships in two weight classes, and a talent for orchestrating some iconic moments.

If all this theft is true, it's a bitter note for a man who earned his own glory. The belt is just metal and leather, but for men like him and the fans of the sport, it’s a tale. The MMA world still awaits with bated breath to see if "Triple C" wins it back or if this proves to be just another piece in his already storied life.