Henry Cejudo injury: What made 'Triple C' pull out of Marlon Vera fight and when can he return to action?

Former UFC two-division champion Henry Cejudo will be unable to compete against Marlon Vera at the upcoming UFC 292 due to a shoulder injury sustained during sparring.

On Thursday, 'Triple C' disclosed that a persistent shoulder injury would prevent him from participating in the Boston card scheduled for August 19. The Olympic gold medalist further mentioned that he had previously torn his left shoulder, resulting in a year-long recovery:

"Unfortunately due to my right shoulder, I won’t be able to fight," said Cejudo. "I’ve already torn my left shoulder, where I was out for about a year. I don’t want it to tear further than what it already is. That being said, there’s a tear in there. The cat’s out the bag. It’s actually a 50 per cent tear."

He added:

"I stretched it out to as much as I possibly could, because I love that ‘Chito’ Vera matchup, and for those that really know me, know I’m all about the money, that I’m all about competing.”

Check out Henry Cejudo's announcement here:

Henry Cejudo had planned to make a quick turnaround in August to face 'Chito' Vera, following his split decision loss to Aljamain Sterling in May after coming out of retirement. The severity of Cejudo's injury is uncertain, and it remains unclear how long he will be sidelined. It is possible that his return may be postponed until next year.

As a result, the UFC is now searching for a new opponent for Vera at UFC 292 or considering rescheduling him for a different fight altogether. Vera is eager to bounce back from his previous loss to Cory Sandhagen at UFC San Antonio and secure a victory.

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Brandon Moreno muses on a potential fight with Henry Cejudo

UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno has a long history with Henry Cejudo since the two were formerly close friends. While Moreno prepares to defend his flyweight title against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 290 next month, 'The Assassin Baby' is already looking forward to the possibility of fighting Cejudo in the future.

During a recent interview with Hablemos MMA, the Mexican native remarked (comments translated from Spanish):

"I don't want to disrespect (Pantoja) at all. I only left that comment because Henry was saying that he didn't know what was going to happen, that he might retire, and all I wanted to do was plant the seed like, 'Hey, don't go just yet."

He added:

"Wait for me and give me a chance', but beyond that, I don't have much to say. I need to focus on Alexandre because he's a serious challenge."

Check out Moreno's comments below (from 31:09):