It’s go big or go home for Henry Cejudo at UFC 298.
Three years into his retirement, the former two-division UFC Champion decided to come back last May in an attempt to regain what was once his: the UFC Bantamweight title. Unfortunately, Cejudo fell just short of his goal, losing to then-champ Aljamain Sterling by split decision.
‘I Would Probably Be Done With Fighting Again’
Cejudo will have to work himself back up to the title conversation and that starts by fighting fellow top contender Merab Dvalishvili on Feb. 17. Should he lose here in this potential title eliminator, ‘Triple C’ acknowledges it could very well be his last dance.
“This is for the number one contender spot,” Cejudo said on ‘The HJR Experiment’. “I think to have to lose it to Aljamain, I think if I was gonna go maybe down the ladder, I would probably be done with fighting again. Because it’s just like the sport is hard, man. Training camps, having 2 kids, and things like that.”
‘It’s All Or Nothing’ For The Former Olympian
At this stage of his career, Cejudo knows what it comes down to. As the podcast host told Cejudo, it’s ‘either a championship next or potentially retirement’.
“It’s all or nothing, man,” Cejudo responded.
Cejudo says he’s coming in with a different mentality ahead of his next fight with ‘The Machine’
“It’s more of a a motivation of vengeance,” Cejudo continued. “It’s not always the love. Like, no, not really, man.
“Even coming back to the sport, I was like, alright, man. I wanna test myself. I like the matchup [vs. Sterling]. It has been 3 years, but it was also the financial compensation. I mean, there’s nothing easier to make money than the fight game.”
Henry Cejudo will look to cash out with a big win over Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 298, maybe even get a title opportunity against the winner of Sean O’Malley vs. Chito Vera. We’ll see how it all plays out at bantamweight in the coming months.
If Cejudo is to retire after one more loss, the former champion can hold his head high as he has won an Olympic Gold Medal in wrestling as well as both UFC Flyweight & Bantamweight titles before.
