Henry Cejudo to Make Boxing Debut vs Deen The Great

Henry Cejudo will make his professional boxing debut against influencer boxer Deen The Great in a Misfits Boxing event on September 26. The former two-division UFC champion announced the move into the ring less than a year after stepping away from mixed martial arts.

Why Cejudo Is Boxing Now

Cejudo walked away from MMA after a loss to Payton Talbott at UFC 323, capping a comeback run that started when he reversed a four-year retirement in 2024 and went winless once he returned. That skid closed the book on a UFC career that still stands out in the promotion's history. Cejudo became one of the first two-division champions in UFC history when he beat Marlon Moraes for the vacant bantamweight title, and he remains a likely future Hall of Famer regardless of how his final octagon run ended.

Since stepping away from the cage, Cejudo has kept busy on the wrestling mat, including a match against former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili at RAF Georgia. Talk of a boxing move had been building for months, with manager Ali Abdelaziz confirming earlier this year that Cejudo was in negotiations with an undisclosed promoter. Misfits Boxing is now that promoter, and Cejudo, an Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling, gets a chance to show whether his grappling pedigree translates to the ring.

Who Is Deen The Great

Deen The Great, real name Nurideen Shabazz, is coming off his first career loss in December and will look to get back in the win column against a much bigger name. Shabazz has stayed in the headlines away from the ring too, recently calling out former BMF titleholder Max Holloway, who dismissed the idea as "crazy," and getting knocked out by former UFC fighter Tiki Ghosn in a viral moment at a house party thrown by Rampage Jackson.

Betting Angle

Expect Cejudo to open as a solid favorite once sportsbooks post a line, given his elite athletic background and the size of his platform compared to a crossover boxer coming off a first pro loss. But recent history is a caution flag for bettors: several wrestling standouts who have crossed over into full-time boxing have struggled to translate that skill set, and Cejudo will be trying to buck that trend in his first outing. It is not yet clear whether this is a one-off exhibition-style booking or the start of a longer boxing run for Cejudo, which matters for how much stock to put in the result. Bettors should treat this as an unpredictable crossover matchup rather than a normal boxing line until more is known about how Cejudo looks in camp.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Henry Cejudo fighting in his boxing debut?

Henry Cejudo will face influencer boxer Deen The Great, whose real name is Nurideen Shabazz, in a Misfits Boxing event on September 26.

Why did Henry Cejudo retire from MMA?

Henry Cejudo stepped away from MMA after losing to Payton Talbott at UFC 323, having gone winless since reversing his retirement in 2024.

What is Henry Cejudo's UFC legacy?

Henry Cejudo is a former two-division UFC champion who became one of the promotion's first simultaneous two-division titleholders after beating Marlon Moraes for the vacant bantamweight belt.