Henry Cejudo coach: Why did ‘Triple C’ fire his trainer right before UFC 298?

Henry Cejudo fired head coach Eric Albarracin before his anticipated bout with Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 298. Albarracin has coached Deiveson Figuerido, Zhang Weili, and Paulo Costa in the UFC. Moreover, he also coached the Pitbull brothers, Patricio and Patricky, in the Bellator, where Patricio is one of the best.

Cejudo returned from retirement to fight for the bantamweight title at UFC 288 but lost to Aljamain Sterling. His upcoming fight against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 298 is a potential number-one contender fight at Bantamweight. Sean O’Malley will put his bantamweight title on the line at UFC 299 against Marlon Vera.

Why did Henry Cejudo fire his coach Eric Albarracin?

Henry Cejudo recently fired his coach, Eric Albarracin, on the UFC Countdown show for UFC 298. Cejudo revealed that he shook up his team before his fight with Dvalishvili at UFC 298. He is 37 years old and is contemplating retirement if unsuccessful against Dvalishvili.

The main reason he gave for the departure of Albarracin was his close personal relationship with him. Cejudo found the close personal relationship between fighters and trainers as a hindrance. Albarracin was with Cejudo when he competed in the Team USA Olympic trials. Albarracin has welcomed the decision of Cejudo. Moreover, he also stated that the goal remains the same irrespective of the decision.

This is not the first time that Cejudo did something like this. He had fired his team members, including his brother Angel Cejudo, after his loss to Demetrious Johnson. Angel Cejudo is back with Henry for the training camp for UFC 298. Angel Cejudo is a former wrestler and a renowned wrestling coach.

Why is Henry Cejudo called ‘Triple C’?

Henry Cejudo is a fantastic wrestler. He is also a former two-division UFC champion and an Olympic Gold medalist. It is the reason why he calls himself “Triple C.” Cejudo’s original nickname is “The Messenger.” Cejudo adopted the new nickname after he defeated Marlon Moraes to claim the vacant UFC bantamweight title.

After Cejudo won the Gold medal in wrestling in 57 kg at the Beijing Olympics, he was unsuccessful in his first attempt to capture the UFC flyweight title. Then champion Demetrious Johnson knocked him out in the first round. However, he improved significantly after the loss and won the rematch in a closely contested bout via split decision.

Cejudo defended the flyweight title against bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw, who moved down in weight. Cejudo won the fight via knockout, and the UFC stripped Dillashaw for PED use. After the title defense, Cejudo moved up in weight to claim the bantamweight title. He would then retire for the first time after a bantamweight title defense against Dominick Cruz.

Why is Eric Albarracin called ‘Captain’?

Eric Albarracin was a captain in the United States Army before he transitioned to an MMA coach. He was also the officer in charge at the United States Army Combatives School. This was due to his accomplished career as a wrestler in both the freestyle and Greco-Roman styles.

Albarracin won the Armed Forces Wrestling Championship seven times. He also bagged a Silver medal at the 1997 Pan American Championships. He was also part of the USA’s national team in both Olympic styles of wrestling. After he retired from the Army, Albarracin turned to MMA coaching, and his students respectfully began to call him ‘Captain Eric.’

Albarracin is of Brazilian heritage and has coached a lot of Brazilian MMA fighters in almost all major promotions. Brazilians call him ‘Captain America’ due to his accomplishments as an armed forces veteran in the USA. Albarracin has adopted the nickname for himself.

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