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

Amid preparation for a critical fight, Henry Cejudo's strategic coaching change highlights his pursuit for victory, reflecting on the impact of personal relationships in professional training dynamics.

Henry Cejudo splits with longtime coach Eric Albarracin ahead of UFC 298 (Image via: Instagram)

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.

Patricio Pitbull and Henry Cejudo with Eric Albarracine — Patricio Pitbull and Henry Cejudo with Eric Albarracin (Image via Instagram)

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.

Henry Cejudo is a former Olympic Gold medalist and two division UFC champion — Henry Cejudo is a former Olympic Gold medalist and two-division UFC champion (via MMA Underground)

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.

Captain Eric Albarracine — Captain Eric Albarracin

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.

FAQs

In which Olympics did Henry Cejudo win the Gold medal?

Beijing 2008

In which category did Henry Cejudo win the Gold medal at the Beijing Olympics?

57Kg

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#About the Author

Safeer Marottickal Sakeer

(989 Articles Published)

Safeer Marottickal Sakkeer is an MMA writer FirstSportz. He has been a combat sports enthusiast since 2015. Safeer has extensive knowledge of the history of MMA. He has invested more than a decade of his life in Combat Sports, first as a fan and practitioner and now as a dedicated writer. His in-depth knowledge of Combat Sports and his experience as a fan makes his writing resonate with most fight fans worldwide. Safeer’s love for Combat Sports started when he saw Rocky at 7 with his grandfather. That love later guided him to take Karate lessons at school and later boxing. He fell in love with combat sports after watching the films, Never Back Down and Warrior. Since watching Demetrious Johnson defeat Kyoji Horiguchi, he has been an avid follower of the sport of MMA. He has also been investing time in exploring Professional Boxing, Glory Kickboxing, Olympic Wrestling, and Karate Combat.

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