Sherdog.com’s 2015 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year

4. Henry Cejudo

Henry Cejudo has crossed the threshold from prospect to contender.

The 2008 Olympic gold medalist picked off Chris Cariaso at UFC 185 in March and Chico Camus at UFC 188 three months later, but he made real waves in the 125-pound division at a UFC Fight Night event on Nov. 21, when he took a split decision from Jussier da Silva in Monterrey, Mexico. Scores were 30-27 and 30-27 for Cejudo, 29-28 for da Silva. With that, he appeared to take the final step toward a shot at Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight titleholder Demetrious Johnson.

Cejudo was superior in all phases. Two- and three-punch combinations lifted the Legacy Fighting Championship veteran past da Silva, along with takedowns in the first and third rounds. “Formiga” was competitive throughout but never forced Cejudo to deviate from his plans. The Olympian generated effective offense at range -- he dropped da Silva with an overhand right in the first round -- and also did some excellent work in the clinch, where he cut loose with knees to the body and standing elbows to the head.

“I was just actually cautious with him,” Cejudo said during a post-fight interview. “I knew he likes to take the back. The whole plan was to keep it on the feet with him, and that’s exactly what we did. I hurt him throughout the clinch. He came prepared. He kicked me pretty hard. I felt like he broke part of my bone [on my shin], but everything else is good.”

In improving to a perfect 10-0, Cejudo notched his most significant victory as a professional. Most of the top contenders at 125 pounds have tried and failed, some of them more than once, to dethrone Johnson, and Cejudo believes he is the next logical opponent for “Mighty Mouse.”

“I think Demetrious is somebody [against whom] I want to display every art that I have, and I haven’t really [done that] in the UFC,” Cejudo said. “I’ve just been standing up with guys, but I think with somebody of his caliber, I’m going to use every tool and weapon that I have; and I do believe I’m the next in line to get the shot. I mean, who else is next?”

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