Cejudo guarantees that Olympic champion would defeat Jones and Ngannou with two years of training

H. Cejudo (photo) has been advising G. Steveson. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter @HenryCejudo

Gold medalist in Olympic wrestling at the Tokyo Games at the age of 21, heavyweight Gable Steveson has become one of the most talked about names in the world of combat sports in recent weeks. Desired by multiple organizations from different sports, the North American has already shown signs that he could move to MMA.

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Also an Olympic champion with a similar trajectory to Steveson, the former UFC bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg) and flyweight (up to 56,7 kg) champion, Henry Cejudo understands better than most the situation the heavyweight finds himself in. In a statement to the North American website TMZ, Cejudo revealed that he is advising Steveson.

“I spoke to Gable yesterday. I'm giving him some tips. I said he has a manager, he has an agent, but he has to take advantage while his name is hot. He has to press, he has to work and, whatever he decides, he has to focus on it and have a strategy drawn up. He cannot venture into all areas at the same time. Focus on one, then move on to the others. I think he should do two years here, two years there and then decide, because he is only 20 years old and has the ability to do everything”, explained Cejudo.

Just like Gable Steveson, Henry Cejudo He was also Olympic champion at the age of 21, at the Beijing Games in 2008. After winning, Cejudo also had several options for the future, but ended up migrating to MMA, where he became the UFC two-category belt holder. The former champion believes Steveson has the potential to have the same success in mixed martial arts.

“The UFC can’t pay him what he’s worth. I'm sorry, they can, but they won't pay him what he deserves. I believe in the next two years he can beat a guy like Jon Jones or even Francis Ngannou. He is the biggest threat because of his wrestling background which is extremely frightening. He’s a real heavyweight,” Cejudo said.

For Cejudo, however, training time is a determining factor in Steveson's success in MMA.

“If you put it there now, Jon Jones and Ngannou would hurt him. I have ever been there. The first time I faced Demetrious Johnson I already had a certain level of striking and I was knocked out after just over two minutes. So you have to respect the game”, warned the former champion.