Dana White Reacts to Henry Cejudo’s Big Decision With Ruthless Khabib Nurmagomedov & Daniel Cormier Admission at UFC 288

Henry Cejudo was visibly upset after missing out on the opportunity to become a two-time bantamweight champion at UFC 288. He suffered defeat against Aljamain Sterling via a split decision. ‘Triple C’ felt lost and confused in the aftermath of the fight and hinted at a possible retirement. Meanwhile, UFC president Dana White has stated that he will honor whatever decision Cejudo wants to make.

Henry Cejudo came back to the UFC after a 3-year retirement hiatus with the sole aim of conquering another division. But ‘Funkmaster’ played a spoiler to his plans and his UFC future looks uncertain now.

Is Henry Cejudo done fighting?

Joe Rogan interviewed the former double champion inside the Octagon as Cejudo shared his assessment of the fight. He said, “My coaches tell me I won maybe [rounds] two, four, and five, something like that.” ‘Triple C’ added, “The judge didn’t think so and I just don’t know.” He told Joe Rogan that he had nothing more to say about the fight and instead asked the famous UFC commentator for his opinion. The decision of the fight was questioned by many people in the MMA community.

Cejudo congratulated Aljamain Sterling on his win, but he wasn’t sure what was next for him. He said, “I hate losing, but it’s also been three years and I don’t know where to take it from here. I am a little confused right now.”

The former double champion also mentioned how his primary aim was to go for the featherweight title. But in the wake of his UFC 288 loss, Cejudo doesn’t see any sense in challenging Alexander Volkanovski. It could be his last UFC fight. “I think we go back and think about it… I wanna talk to Dana but I talk to my wife, and who knows, this may be the last of me inside the octagon,” said Henry Cejudo.

Dana White will not force ‘Triple C’ to keep fighting

The UFC president appeared in the post-fight press conference as he was hit with questions about Cejudo’s retirement, and if he’ll try to talk him out of it. Dana White mentioned that there were some fighters whom he tried to stop from retiring – Daniel Cormier and Khabib Nurmagomedov. He said, “There’s only been a couple of guys that I have tried to talk out of retiring at the time that they did. It was DC and Khabib.” 

He added how good Henry Cejudo looked inside the octagon against a stronger opponent, considering he’s been out for three years. But White will not try to stop the former double champion from doing what he wishes to do. Dana White added, “That’s up to him [Cejudo on retiring] whatever he wants. I don’t think he should have retired the first time, but if he decides to retire a second time, I probably wouldn’t argue with him.”

READ MORE: Henry Cejudo Reminded of His “Novice” MMA Record by Conor McGregor After His Loss Against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288

Henry Cejudo achieved a lot in the UFC. He is already an Olympic Gold medalist and a former two-division champion in the promotion. He is 36 years old, and like some of his peers, could choose to go for a couple more years. But the fans will have to wait and see what unfolds in the days to come.

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