Henry Cejudo is riding the first three-fight losing streak in his MMA career after dropping a technical decision to Song Yadong at UFC Seattle. MMA pundit Daniel Cormier believes he can trace it back to one key decision in Cejudo’s career.
Cejudo’s fight with Yadong was intended to be his remarkable comeback after Khabib Nurmagomedov lectured Cejudo on re-entering title contention. Unfortunately, ‘Triple-C’ was eye-poked in the third round, and the fight was called off in the fourth after Cejudo admitted he couldn’t see.
Despite Cejudo revealing he suffered from diplopia and corneal abrasion, he is still subject to scrutiny from the MMA community, including former double-champion Daniel Cormier.
‘He got rid of the best years of his career’ … Daniel Cormier pinpoints Henry Cejudo’s retirement as a major setback
Cejudo notoriously retired as the reigning flyweight and bantamweight double-champion after defeating Dominick Cruz in 2020. ‘Triple-C’ feigned retirement to barter a better deal with the UFC, but it backfired, and he returned three years later to begin his losing streak against Aljamain Sterling.
Speaking on Good Guy/Bad Guy, Cormier explained how Cejudo wasn’t a needle-mover in the UFC and that the fake retirement cost him the best years of his career.
“It was like, ‘I’m the double champ, I just beat Dominick Cruz, pay me more,'” Cormier remarked. ” . . . Dana [White] was calm, cool, and collected because not many [bantamweights] have to be paid more; It’s just the truth.
“[…] It felt like Henry made a big play and I think the big play backfired, because he got rid of the best years of his career.”
Henry Cejudo retired to start a new chapter in life … and barter with the UFC
At the UFC 249 press conference after defeating Cruz, Cejudo explained that his decision to retire came from a place of selflessness after a life of focusing on his goals.
“I’ve finally got a girl now,” Cejudo said. “I want to step into that new chapter of my life. I’ve been extremely selfish and rightfully so to [become…] Olympic champ, flyweight champ, bantamweight champ. . . And man, I want to leave on top. . . . I want to remain king forever.”
However, when prompted on whether he’d return for a lucrative contract, Cejudo switched stances.
“[Dana White] knows the number,” Cejudo remarked. “But let all these bantamweights kill each other.”
Now 2-3 in his last five performances, 38-year-old Cejudo faces the prospect of an actual retirement after forfeiting his prime years at the top of the sport.