Former UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo, who also held gold at 125 pounds, retired from mixed martial arts (MMA) back in May 2020 and subsequently told the combat sports community he “retired on top.”
But in the two years since “Triple C” walked away from in-cage competition, the 2008 Olympic gold medalist kept himself afloat in the headlines by teasing an eventual comeback against several top fighters, including former lightweight champion Conor McGregor.
Is UFC President Dana White interested?
“No, Cejudo’s retired,” White told TMZ Sports. “Cejudo’s retired, you know? Cejudo knows what he needs to do to get back in and get whatever. I mean, talking shit on Instagram does not get you fights.”
That rule may not apply to this “Notorious” shit talker.
Cejudo (16-2) turned 35 back in February and has been using his combat sports experience to help train active UFC fighters, including former strawweight champion Zhang Weili. “Triple C” also wants to have a hand in the career resurrection of Jorge Masvidal.
In order for Cejudo to make a return to MMA, he’ll first need to reenter the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) testing pool, which requires a minimum of six months of clean test results before a fighter can step foot inside the Octagon.
Whether or not that actually happens (or happened) remains to be seen.