Henry Cejudo will be the third Olympic gold medalist to compete for UFC after signing a promotional contract announced Friday.
Cejudo became the youngest U.S. Olympic wrestling champion at 21 at Beijing 2008. The son of illegal immigrants from Mexico, his story gained instant fame, and was told in a book, “American Victory.”
He did not qualify for London at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials and gave up wrestling to start a mixed martial arts career.
“In wrestling, you’re talking about a fraternity of champions, and I got a chance to be a part of that Olympic championship club,” he said, according to UFC.com. “And anyone that ever won the Olympics in wrestling, there’s something different about them. And that’s something that I’ve always wanted to carry over to mixed martial arts when it comes to discipline, when it comes to technique, and when it comes to becoming an overall fighter. Everything that I did to win a gold medal, I’m practically transferring it over to mixed martial arts.”
Cejudo’s first UFC bout will be in Sacramento, Calif., on Aug. 30 in the flyweight division, though he’s 6-0 with four knockouts already as a pro.
“I always wanted to become a student of the game and at least get six to eight fights before coming to the UFC,” he told UFC.com. “Now I think I’m in my prime, and I’ve never felt this strong in my life. I won the Olympics at 21. I could only grow half a mustache (laughs), and now I’ve got a full beard.”
Cejudo joins fellow wrestlers Kevin Jackson and Mark Schultz in competing in UFC after winning Olympic golds. Of course, one of the most famous names in MMA is 2008 Olympic judo bronze medalist Ronda Rousey.
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Kenyan Diana Kipyokei was banned six years and had her 2021 Boston Marathon title stripped for a positive drug test and then providing false information to anti-doping officials.
Kipyokei, 28, tested positive for a metabolite of triamcinolone acetonide (a corticosteroid) from a sample given after she won the Boston Marathon in October 2021.
Kipyokei then provided false and/or misleading information in trying to explain her positive test, “including fake documentation which she alleged came from a hospital,” according to the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), which handles doping cases in track and field.
She chose not to challenge the charges, according to the AIU.
Kipyokei’s provisional suspension while her case played out was announced Oct. 14, but it began June 27. Her six-year ban has been backdated to June 27.
The Boston Athletic Association, which announced Oct. 14 that Kipyokei would be stripped of her Boston Marathon title should her case not be overturned on appeal, followed up on Tuesday to officially disqualify her.
Kipyokei, in her World Marathon Major debut, won Boston in 2:24:45, beating countrywoman Edna Kiplagat by 24 seconds. Kiplagat, then 41, has been upgraded to champion, making her the oldest runner to win the Boston Marathon in its history dating to 1897.
Kipyokei, who has no registered results since the 2021 Boston Marathon, is the second Boston Marathon winner to be stripped of their title in the last decade. Kenyan Rita Jeptoo also had her 2014 win disqualified for doping.
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Very disappointed robbed my joy my smile my happiness and the beautiful decorated tape at the finish line https://t.co/zzTVJMCYEy
— Edna Kiplagat (@KiplagatEdna) October 14, 2022

The Sapporo 2030 Winter Olympic and Paralympic bid will reportedly undergo a review that may include a nationwide survey asking the public whether it wants to host the Games, the Sapporo mayor and the Japanese Olympic Committee announced in a press conference Tuesday.
The bid “will be pausing active promotion,” according to a Reuters interpretation of Japanese media reports.
The decisions were made in response to two factors, according to Japanese reports: the IOC announcing two weeks ago that the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic host decision will be delayed beyond next summer. Plus, the recent investigation into corruption related to Tokyo being awarded the 2020 Summer Games back in 2013.
Sapporo mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto said officials have not given up on the 2030 bid, the priority is to gain public support and that the will of the people will be respected, according to reports.
Last March, Hokkaido residents were surveyed regarding Sapporo hosting the 2030 Winter Games. Sapporo, the 1972 Winter Olympic host, is the capital of the island of Hokkaido. By mail, 52.2 percent said they supported it. Online, that number was 56.5 percent. In person, it was 65.5 percent support.
A possible follow-up survey would be broader, possibly nationwide, Akimoto reportedly said Tuesday.
There are three interested parties for the 2030 Winter Games, the IOC said on Dec. 6 without naming them. Previously, Salt Lake City, Sapporo and Vancouver were confirmed as bids. Then in October, the British Columbia government said it would not support a Vancouver bid, a major setback, though organizers did not say that decision ended the bid.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has said it prefers 2034 for Salt Lake City, but can step in for 2030 if asked.
Italy will host the next Winter Games in 2026 in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
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