Henry Cejudo will retire at UFC 323. It is laborious to learn that assertion with out uncertain emotions. UFC retirements do not at all times stick. This is not even Cejudo’s first retirement from blended martial arts. However when Cejudo speaks about stepping away from the game, he does so with peace and conviction.
“I am content material and pleased with my profession,” Cejudo advised CBS Sports activities forward of his showdown with Payton Talbott. “I am able to struggle Saturday night time, and I am able to f—ing transfer on, too.”
Cejudo beforehand retired from the game on high of the world. He turned a simultaneous two-division UFC champion earlier than calling it a profession off a bantamweight title protection towards fellow nice Dominick Cruz. Some folks speculated it was a public negotiation tactic, however nothing got here of it, and Cejudo remained absent for 3 years.
The second half of his profession didn’t bear the identical fruit as his first run. The truth is, it is the polar reverse. Cejudo is 0-3 since returning to competitors in 2023. He first misplaced to Aljamain Sterling, the UFC bantamweight champion on the time, by break up resolution earlier than falling to future champ Merab Dvalishvili and Tune Yadong. Cejudo was aggressive in every of these fights, significantly towards Sterling, however the reality stays he hasn’t gained a struggle in 5 years.
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“I do not prefer it, however it’s what it’s. I will transfer on…” Cejudo stated. “Even when I misplaced 100 bouts consecutively, what I have been capable of accomplish and the way I did it’s particular to me. That is between me and myself. I beat three Corridor of Famers to win and conquer belts. I beat three out of the 4 greats.”
That profitable stretch Cejudo referred to was wins over Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, typically thought-about probably the greatest fighters all time, and former bantamweight champs T.J. Dillashaw and Cruz. It is a meteoric run that stands the take a look at of time, and will not be tarnished by what got here after. Cejudo argues that, among the many 11 champ-champs within the UFC, he fought essentially the most elite competitors to attain that distinction.
Cejudo makes his last stroll towards Talbott, an thrilling younger prospect. It is the primary time in 10 years that he is combating an unranked opponent. Talbott is extremely touted as a possible contender, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a big demotion for the longer term Corridor of Famer. What’s extra, the Olympic champion wrestler is a two-to-one underdog. The betting strains suppose Cejudo is operating on empty, however Talbott is keenly conscious of who stands in entrance of him.
“I believe we’re going to see a extremely good model of him, and I believe we’re going to see a glimpse of his youthful self that night time,” Talbott advised CBS Sports activities’ Brian Campbell. “I am certain he’ll step into the cage as the most effective model of himself, as will I.”
Cejudo will enter the cage content material. His second stint with the promotion did not go his method, however nothing can take away what he is completed. He is “Triple C” — the Olympic and two-time UFC champion. He has sufficient gold to cowl his 5-foot-4 body from head to toe, and a run that noticed him develop into, for a time, the most effective fighter within the sport. Beating Talbott on Saturday is the cherry on high, nevertheless it does not do a lot to have an effect on Cejudo’s legacy.
“I really feel extra grateful now than something. It is extra of a thanks, realizing how a lot my coaching companions and coaches sacrificed for me,” Cejudo stated. “Usually, whenever you struggle, it is tunnel imaginative and prescient. Understanding it is my final struggle, I am very grateful. It has been an emotional couple of weeks.
“Considered one of my coaches, Santino DeFranco, can also be saying goodbye to the game. He is been with me since we began profitable… You neglect how a lot time folks give away from their households to be with you. That is f—ng particular to me.”
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