Henry Cejudo, the fighter, is thinking about hanging up his gloves. Again.
He’s been here before. The former Ultimate Fighting Championship double champ announced his retirement back in May 2020. It was a shocker. He’d just defeated Dominick Cruz via technical knockout at UFC 249.
But, retirement didn’t stick. He was lured back into the ring for a bantamweight gold bid against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288. That was in May last year. Unfortunately, he suffered a split decision loss.
Now, Cejudo is set to face Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 298. That’s happening on Feb. 17 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
There’s a lot riding on this fight. Aljamain Sterling is booked for his featherweight debut. The winner of the Cejudo vs. Dvalishvili clash is expected to fight for the title next. They’ll be up against the winner of Sean O’Malley’s UFC 299 title clash against longtime rival Marlon Vera.
But, if Cejudo doesn’t come out on top at UFC 298, he might call it quits. Again. He’s 36 now.
“This is for the No. 1 contender spot,” he told The HJR Experiment. He admits that if he was going to go maybe down the ladder, he would probably be done with fighting again.
Training is tough. Having two kids doesn’t make it easier. It’s all or nothing, he says.
His motivation isn’t always love for the sport. Sometimes it’s vengeance. Sometimes it’s about testing himself. And, let’s not forget the financial compensation. “I mean, there’s nothing easier to make money than the fight game,” he says.
UFC 298 is headlined by a featherweight title clash. Reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski will take on undefeated contender Ilia Topuria. In the co-main event, former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker will face another divisional veteran in Paulo Costa.