Cejudo Makes His Retirement Official, Bantamweight Title Vacated

It is still unclear if Henry Cejudo will stay retired, but he is making it seem like it is his final goodbye.

“Triple C” beat Dominick Cruz to defend the UFC Bantamweight Title at UFC 249 a few weeks ago. Following the bout, the former UFC Flyweight Champion and Olympic medalist in Cejudo (16-2) retired in the middle of the octagon. It took a while, but the UFC’s bantamweight standings officially have him off the board, with the title shown as vacant.

Cejudo also sent a message on social media, thanking Dana White and the UFC for giving him an opportunity.

“Thank you for the awesome experiences uncle @danawhite I will forever be grateful. Thank you for taking a chance on the sport that people thought would never make it. To all my coaches and fans it been a wonderful ride. Triple C is out #retiredontop”

Thank you for the awesome experiences uncle @danawhite I will forever be grateful. Thank you for taking a chance on the sport that people thought would never make it. To all my coaches and fans it been a wonderful ride. Triple C is out 🎤 #retiredontop pic.twitter.com/ZoHa3asoDU

— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) May 25, 2020

One of the top reasons for Cejudo moving on from the sport is for a chance at another taste at Olympic gold. With the Olympics taking place in 2021, Cejudo believes there is time for him to win wrestling tournaments once again. He also stated (with Dana White confirming it) he requested an increase in pay months ago.

Manager Ali Abdelaziz is one of those people who don’t think he will retire, as he believes Cejudo will be back in no time. It would appear to be some sort of bargaining chip, but the UFC called his bluff by officially taking away the title.

Now, it appears that the group of Petr Yan, Aljamain Sterling, and Cory Sandhagen will get an opportunity at gold.

Do you believe Cejudo is really gone from the UFC and MMA in general?