UFC champ Henry Cejudo likely out until 2020 due to shoulder surgery

UFC bantamweight and flyweight champion Henry Cejudo will likely have to wait until 2020 to defend either one of his titles due to shoulder surgery.

The Olympic gold medalist, who just recently claimed the 135-pound title with a third-round TKO against Marlon Moraes, is undergoing surgery after tearing the subscapularis muscle in his shoulder during the first round of his win at UFC 238 in Chicago.

Cejudo’s surgery was initially reported by ESPN with the dual champion’s manager Ali Abdel-Aziz later confirming to MMAFighting that his recovery time will take approximately four to five months before he’s able to return to action.

Because of the time required to recuperate from the shoulder surgery, it’s likely Cejudo will be forced to sit out the remainder of 2019 as he recovers.

Cejudo already picked up two huge wins this year including his victory against Moraes to win the bantamweight title after defending his flyweight championship in January with a first-round knockout against T.J. Dillashaw.

Immediately after his latest win, Cejudo even mentioned the possibility of moving up to featherweight in an attempt to tackle a third world title but any plans for that belt will have to wait until next year.

With Cejudo sidelined for several months, fighters in both the bantamweight and flyweight division will be forced to wait for his return before either title will be defended.