Henry Cejudo reverses course, will not retire after UFC 298 loss: ‘I just cannot go out like this’
Henry Cejudo has made his decision.
The Olympic champion and former two-division UFC titleholder announced Friday on his YouTube channel that he will not retire from MMA following his UFC 298 loss to Merab Dvalishvili, reversing course on pre-fight promises that the bout was all-or-nothing for him.
“I just cannot let it roll like this. I just cannot,” Cejudo said. “As much as it hurts. Again, guys, I take the L. But I cannot take the L knowing the way that I pretty much went out. I don’t mind the losing aspect of it. Maybe just the way that I did go — the being winded side, the not trying to knock this dude out because I was tired — I think that’s the stuff that really bothers me. So as of today, guys, I was getting ready to announce my [retirement] — a couple of days ago, I literally did a whole video on my retirement, thanking my family, thanking my friends, thanking everybody who has been there.
“But as time sets in and gives me a chance to talk to a lot of the legends — I called Daniel Cormier, I talked to Quinton ‘Rampage,’ I talked to a lot of guys who I respect who have been there before. And you know what, Henry? Look at your situation. You went out and you fought the No. 1 guy in the world [Aljamain Sterling], you lost a split decision. You went out and you pretty much fought the best guy in the world [Dvalishvili], because when this guy gets an opportunity to fight Sean O’Malley or ‘Chito’ Vera, it’s going to be easy work for him. Because I thought the same thing as Sean. I was like Sean, ‘This dude is f****** sloppy, this dude is X,Y, and Z.’ But it’s different when you actually get in there.
“It’s different when you have a pace, and a guy that doesn’t necessarily have that knockout power or that accuracy, but just has that go in him, and that’s what makes him dangerous. It’s not necessarily his wrestling. It’s his threshold, it’s the ability of him continuing to keep picking up the pace, and keeping it at that pace where he doesn’t drain his own wad. He got me. I take the L. But I cannot let it sit like this. I just cannot, man.”
Cejudo, 37, suffered a lopsided defeat at the hands of Dvalishvili this past Saturday at UFC 298. Cejudo was outworked and outlasted by Dvalishvili over the course of the grueling 15-minute affair. Worse, however, is that the Olympic wrestler yielded five takedowns to Dvalishvili and was controlled in spectacular fashion in the second half of the bout, with Dvalishvili even hoisting Cejudo above his head and sprinting across the cage in a scene reminiscent of Matt Hughes’ legendary rematch against Frank Trigg in 2005.
It was Cejudo’s most convincing loss since the first-round knockout he suffered at the hands of then-champ Demetrious Johnson in 2016, and “Triple C” has done plenty of soul-searching in the days since, reflecting on his decision to come back from retirement after three years away from MMA. Cejudo initially retired in May 2020 after defeating Dominick Cruz to become one of just two fighters to defend UFC belts in two different weight classes.
“I would’ve probably been best if I would’ve never came back to the sport, because I did retire and I did retire on top,” Cejudo acknowledged. “Why did I retire in the first place? I’ve accomplished everything. There was no motivator. You want to leave as a fighter on top for the rest of your life. If I could have it the way Khabib [Nurmagomedov] had it, it’d be great. But I will say this, there’s always going to be ‘what ifs’ with guys that never went out there and actually went for it. And what I could say in my position is, the show goes on.
“Was Dana White right that [I] did leave three years behind? Three of [my] prime years? Yeah, I’ll give it to him. Recognizing it now, the way that I did feel Saturday, the way that [the situation] already kind of played out, you start to kind of psychologically just like, ‘Damn, are these dudes right? I couldn’t have it any other way?’ One, if I could change everything, I probably would never come back — but now that I’m back, now I’ve got to s*** where I sleep. And for that reason, man, I just cannot go out like that.
“So I’m here today, ladies and gentlemen, taking my word back as a man, confronting you guys, you the people, you my fans, you my family, you my friends, you the haters, that I just cannot go out like this. And guys, to say the least, it is far from over with the Triple C.”
Watch Cejudo’s complete announcement below.