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Henry Cejudo might not be retiring, if his manager is to be believed.
Henry Cejudo announced his retirement shortly after defending his belt against a former long time champion in Dominick Cruz at UFC 249. While Cejudo claimed he’s serious, his manager thinks he’ll be back competing soon.
“I think Dana is right: I think Henry’s been talking about retirement,” Ali Abdelaziz told TMZ Sports. (Transcript via MMA Mania) “Do I think Henry’s gonna retire? Absolutely not. I don’t think Henry’s gonna retire.”
According to Abdelaziz, it’s a money issue that they’ll be able to resolve soon.
“These guys, they’re in their prime. Henry’s gonna be coming now into his prime,” he said. “How you gonna retire in your prime, and the pay-per-view [UFC 249] did so well, and you’ve gotta make some money? Could things be changed a little bit? Yes, of course. But at the end of the day, this is between us. It’s between me and Henry and the UFC.
“Henry’s got everybody on their knees right now,” Abdelaziz concluded. “I don’t think he’s gonna retire. You’re gonna see him fight by this summer. This is what I think.”
Cejudo, 33, repeatedly stated that he seriously wants to focus on the “next chapter” of his life and start a family. He did mention that the only thing that could change his mind was a far better offer, but would UFC be willing to open that checkbook?
Combat sports retirements are often temporary, but I guess we’ll find out soon enough. For what it’s worth, Dana White has already stated that he would be interested in booking Petr Yan in a vacant title bout as soon as possible.