While Cejudo may have won medals in wrestling, it was UFC flyweight champ who was winning hardware - well, retaining, really - by positively starching the gold medalist in less than three minutes into the first round.
Cejudo was able to score a trip takedown, but that was truly about it. Johnson not only got back to his feet quickly, but decimated Cejudo in the clinch with a bevy of knees and elbows, ultimately dropping him to the canvas and scoring a stoppage victory at just 2:49 into the first frame.
As he explained at the UFC 197 post-fight press conference, it was precisely the clinch where Cejudo thought he'd shine.
"Honestly, that was part of our game plan as a camp," Cejudo said. "I really did believe I was going to dominate the clinch. Coming from a wrestling background, I felt really strong. It was that first knee that he hit me with. I think he said it during the interview, too. He heard me grunt. I took him down. I could've held him down a little longer, but I was still trying to catch my breath. It was that one knee that really did it.
"When you get hit to the body, you don't even worry about your face no more. So, I just started kinda protecting my body, like hanging my head down. He did a good job. He attacked my body.
"I underestimated his clinch and he hit me to the body on both sides. He did a good job. I underestimated his clinch. The plan was to take him there and then slowly wrestle him. That knee was the difference in that he just beat me up with knees. That was the biggest thing."
LINK: Henry Cejudo on Demetrious Johnson fight: 'It was a humbling experience for me'
