Retirement announcements in combat sports come with asterisks and skepticism from fans who have seen it before. Fighters declare they’re done, walk away dramatically, then return within months or years when opportunities arise. The sport pulls them back with unfinished business, financial incentives, or simply the addiction to competition. And Henry Cejudo is a prime example of this.
Cejudo has already retired once before, stepping away in 2020 after defending his bantamweight title against Dominick Cruz. He returned three years later but hasn’t recaptured the magic that made him a simultaneous two-division champion. Now facing three consecutive losses heading into UFC 323, Cejudo says he’s ready to walk away again, though he left the door cracked open for one specific scenario that could lure him back.
Cejudo spoke during a media scrum captured by MMA Junkie, making his intentions crystal clear about this being his final fight. He stated this is it for him unless Dana White wants him for a really big fight with some other Mexican fighter. That caveat shows retirement isn’t completely set in stone, but it’s close enough that he’s ready to announce it publicly.
“This is it for me, guys. This is it for me, unless Dana [White] wants me to, unless it’s a really big fight with some other Mexican, you know, then I’d be willing to do it. But, other than that, I think I’ve done everything at the highest level since I was 11 years old.”
Cejudo emphasized he’s done everything at the highest level since he was 11 years old. Cutting weight from that young age takes a massive toll on the body and mind. Decades of draining his body to make weight, fighting elite competition, and maintaining the discipline required for championship-level performance eventually exhausted him.
Cejudo had an incredibly decorated freestyle wrestling career in the 2000s, winning a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 55 kg class. That Olympic gold represents the pinnacle of amateur wrestling achievement, something very few athletes ever accomplish. Transitioning from Olympic wrestling to MMA, Cejudo debuted on the UFC roster by 2014 in just his seventh professional fight.
His biggest career moment came in 2018 when he avenged a loss to all-time flyweight king Demetrious Johnson with a close split decision. That victory ended one of the longest title reigns in company history, shocking the MMA world. After finding success at flyweight, Cejudo moved up to bantamweight in 2019, defeating Marlon Moraes for the vacant belt. That win made him one of just four simultaneous two-division champions in UFC history.
He defended the bantamweight title once against Dominick Cruz in 2020 before announcing his first retirement. When he returned three years later, the results weren’t the same. He is now on a three- fight losing streak. Cejudo enters UFC 323 this weekend as an underdog against Payton Talbott, a 27-year-old prospect bouncing back from his sole professional loss. Win or lose, this wlll be Cejudo’s farewell to the Octagon!
(Image Credit: Steven Bisig – Imagn Images)
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