Cejudo (shoulder) out of Vera UFC 292 fight

Former UFC double champion Henry Cejudo announced Thursday he has a partially torn right shoulder and is out of his scheduled UFC 292 matchup with Marlon “Chito” Vera on Aug. 19 in Boston.

Cejudo made the announcement on his YouTube page and Twitter. He said the shoulder will require rehab and it would not be ready for another six to eight weeks. Cejudo said he does not want to have surgery on it, like he did his left shoulder, instead opting for stem-cell treatment and rehabilitation.

It was immediately unclear if Vera would remain on the UFC 292 card.

Cejudo is coming off a close loss to UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling in a title fight at UFC 288 last month. He considered a second retirement immediately after that bout, but reiterated Thursday his intention to continue fighting. Cejudo said he wants a bout with Sterling’s teammate and fellow bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili when he returns from the shoulder injury. He also teased a possible future fight with his former protégé Brandon Moreno, the current UFC flyweight champion.

Cejudo (16-3) returned for the Sterling fight after three years of retirement. The Arizona resident was UFC flyweight champion in 2018 and 2019 and won the bantamweight title in 2019, making him just the fourth simultaneous multidivisional champion in UFC history.

Cejudo, 36, is also a former Olympic wrestling gold medalist, making him one of the most accomplished athletes ever in combat sports.