UFC flyweight Henry Cejudo is a mixed martial arts phenom with a decorated past in wresting. Now the Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling has been awarded a spot within the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Speaking to the UFC, Cejudo offered his thoughts on the honor to be inducted into the hall of fame.
“I was a kid who grew up on welfare, a kid who starved in the summers of Phoenix. People talk about gangs and drugs and we didn’t even worry about that. We were just worrying what was next to eat. That’s when you know you’re poor. You worry about drugs and violence, you’re living life. We’re just trying to survive in it. Now I’m just trying to repay everything back because so much has been given to me.”
“It’s an honor because it’s a reflection of who you are, of who raised you. That’s what being a Hall of Famer is. The saying is that it takes a village to make a champion. It’s true. I couldn’t do this without my coaches, without my brothers, without my mother, without my family. Without their support, a lot of this stuff wouldn’t be possible.”
“The sport brought freedom to me. I was always a kid who didn’t know how to express himself, and when I found wrestling, it was the best way I could express who I am. I was creative, I was rough, I was mean, I was nice. (Laughs) It’s all these emotions of who you are. Wrestling really is a sport where how you wrestle is how you are as a person. It resonates with who you are as a human being.”
