Henry Cejudo kept his word and retired after losing to Merab Dvalishvili to a unanimous decision UFC 298 on Saturday at Honda Center. However, Cejudo was denied the mic and a chance to announce his retirement after the fight. Cejudo was also denied from earning a suitable amount and was reportedly paid less for the fight.
Dana White comments on Henry Cejudo
Dana White recently opened up on why he did not give Cejudo a chance to announce his retirement in the post-fight in-cage interview at UFC 298
“Henry Cejudo already retired, OK? He did the whole drop the gloves thing,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at UFC 298. “Tonight was Merab’s night.
“Merab went in there, fought the No. 3 guy in the world, former world champion, and easily won the fight. Tonight was Merab’s night. If he wants to retire again, he can do that here (at the press conference) or somewhere else. You don’t give the mic to Cejudo tonight.” White said.
White thinks that Cejudo is responsible for the position he is in today. According to White, it was the long layoff that ended Cejudo’s career. Henry Cejudo retired in May 2020, while he was at the peak of his career coming off a six-fight winning streak – including title wins over Demetrious Johnson, T.J. Dillashaw, and Dominick Cruz.
“In my opinion, you can’t take three years off in combat sports,” White said. “It’s never done well for anybody, and Cejudo looked great in the first round. I thought he started to gas out in the second round. Merab just got stronger as the fight went on.”
Fans react to Henry Cejudos retirement saga
Fans all over the internet poured in with mixed reactions on the subject:
“It’s hard to feel sorry for someone who has largely ‘done it to himself’. He made a decision at one point to create a dislikeable moniker and then left when he was earning the most money.” A fan wrote on Twitter.
“Imagine if Dern brought in more viewers than Cejudo” another fan stated.
“I mean dude already retired so why show it again. Now I do feel and about him getting paid less. Absolutely disrespectful!” another added.
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