Cejudo 'happy to be alive' after narrowly escaping California wildfire
Fighting through hellfire in the cage is one thing. Henry Cejudo recently did it in the most literal sense.
A week after escaping the wildfire that's ravaged northern California, the UFC flyweight contender detailed the near-death experience in a Monday appearance on "The MMA Hour."
In the wee hours of the morning on Oct. 9, the 30-year-old Cejudo woke to the sound of a fire alarm going off in his hotel room in Santa Rosa, where he'd traveled for a charity golf event. He went back to sleep after seeing no signs of fire in the immediate vicinity outside his room window, only to wake up coughing at 4:30 a.m. to a smoke-filled room.
Cejudo rushed to the window, only this time, the wildfire had all but swallowed the hotel, prompting him to grab a pair of slacks and his phone before jumping out of the second-story window. He shot for a burning branch, but the way he saw it, a few burns were a negligible price to pay.
"I knew I was gonna get burnt," Cejudo said, according to MMA Fighting's Marc Raimondi. "I didn’t mind getting burnt as long as i was able to breathe."
Upon stomping out his foot, Cejudo made a beeline for a police car - the only sign of life he could detect - stationed on a freeway a quarter mile out.
"I was scared. I thought I felt adrenaline fighting. This is something I’ve never felt before. I was kind of in survival mode. I’m a fighter, I’m a wrestler. The only thing I know how to do is survive.
"I was thinking this is a horrible way to die, man. Maybe I deserve to die, but not like this."
Not only did the police cruiser take off while he was in hot pursuit, the flyweight was short a pant leg by the time he'd made it to the freeway, having hopped a fence that buckled and tore into his hind parts on the way. Luckily, a fire truck soon came to the rescue, the crew revealing Cejudo's hotel had been evacuated more than two hours prior.
His prized Olympic gold medal and ring were both lost in the fire, but needless to say, Cejudo is just happy to be breathing.
"I wasn't even thinking about that. I was like, man! I just dodged a bullet, man.
"I’m just happy to be alive. They're like, 'Aren't you sad?' Nah, I’m happy. I kissed the floor when I got back."
Others weren't as fortunate as the flyweight contender. The wildfire has claimed 40 lives and misplaced thousands in the region.
Luckily, Cejudo emerged unscathed aside from the burns on his foot, meaning his date with Sergio Pettis at UFC 218 is still a go. He's since set up his training camp in Brazil, and aims to donate $50,000 to those affected by the fire.