Demetrious Johnson, a highly experienced MMA fighter, believes that Henry Cejudo deserved to win the recent UFC 288 fight against Aljamain Sterling for the bantamweight title. Although Cejudo had been out of action for almost three years, he put up a spirited performance, ultimately losing by a close split decision, a verdict that some onlookers disagreed with.

Johnson was among those who felt that Cejudo should have been declared the winner, his own scorecard during the fight. Johnson reaffirmed his opinion stating that he thought Cejudo won the bout 3-2, although he acknowledged that the decision could have gone either way.

The former flyweight champion acknowledged that he had personal reasons for rooting for Cejudo, who is a friend and occasional sparring partner. However, Johnson also pointed out that Cejudo had not maximized all of his opportunities during the fight. Specifically, Johnson felt that Cejudo had failed to retaliate when Sterling remained on the ground after he defended a takedown.

Johnson felt that Cejudo should have either taken a body lock and thrown Sterling over, or moved behind him to deliver some hard punches. Johnson also praised Sterling, describing him as a worthy opponent who had employed a range of unorthodox tactics during the fight.

Johnson’s relationship with Cejudo has already been helpful to him, as he won a unanimous decision over Adriano Moraes in ONE Championship’s recent US debut. Now that he doesn’t have any fights on the horizon, Johnson hopes to work with Cejudo to improve his game.

Specifically, he would like to see Cejudo adopt a more aggressive approach and take advantage of opportunities to deliver punishing blows to his opponents. Johnson acknowledged that this type of change would take time, but he was optimistic that with hard work and dedication, Cejudo could make the necessary improvements.