UFC 288’s Henry Cejudo unwilling to train with Conor McGregor: ‘He took things too far’

Henry Cejudo and Conor McGregor aren’t likely to be friends anytime soon.

2023 is the year of comebacks as Cejudo is set to return before “The Notorious” at UFC 288 against Bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling, this weekend (Sat. May 6, 2023) in Newark, New Jersey. McGregor is also expected to return sooner rather than later, lining up an inevitable — although unofficial — date with Michael Chandler after coaching opposite each other on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 31.

Despite having worked with several notable names and champions such as Jon Jones, Zhang Weili, Jiri Prochazka, and Deiveson Figueiredo in his time away from active competition, “Triple C” wouldn’t accept any collaboration with his fellow former double champion.

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BLOCKBUSTER BANTAMWEIGHT BATTLE! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Newark, N.J., for the first time in more than three years on Sat., May 6, 2023, with a blockbuster Bantamweight collision inside Prudential Center that will see Aljamain Sterling attempt another successful title defense against returning two-division titleholder and former gold medal-winning Olympic wrestler, Henry Cejudo. In UFC 288’s last-minute pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event, former Welterweight title challenger, Gilbert Burns, locks horns with No. 4-seeded contender, Belal Muhammad, in a five-round, 170-pound No. 1 contender eliminator match.

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“No,” Cejudo answered at UFC 288 media day when asked if he’d work with McGregor. “I think he’s offended too many of my good friends. At first, yeah, I was kind of a Conor hater then I became a fan, but you know what, this dude, he won me over. But I think he took things a little too far ... talking about Khabib [Nurmagomedov’s] father after him passing. Calling my manager a rat, a terrorist, all that. To me, I get sports, I get the entertainment side, but that’s just a little too much for me.”

Cejudo and McGregor have bantered back-and-forth online over the years, arguing who is right and wrong when it comes to proper techniques and fight approaches. For his next encounter with Chandler, Cejudo still has plenty of advice to give.

“I’ve done a fight feedback on him,” Cejudo said. “If he was smart he’d watch it and I think the biggest things that Conor could do is adjust his stance. He’s too heavy on that lead leg. He needs to go back to — he’s not an attacker. Conor anticipates and he counters well. Start bringing people into you, man.”

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 288 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 288: “Sterling vs. Cejudo” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.