Former UFC double champion Henry Cejudo is beginning to lose hope in a UFC comeback in light of his recent jabs at UFC President Dana White.
Cejudo hasn’t fought in the UFC Octagon since his last bantamweight title defense against Dominick Cruz at UFC 249. In his post-fight interview, he announced his retirement from the UFC and officially vacated the title shortly thereafter.
But Cejudo has hinted at a UFC comeback, most recently volunteering to fight against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 273. This was after Max Holloway pulled out of the Volkanovski fight due to an injury. However, the UFC opted to go with ‘The Korean Zombie’ as a replacement.
Cejudo has recently claimed that he demanded too much money and that was the reasoning behind not getting the Volkanovski fight. In the meantime, he has coached various UFC fighters at Fight Ready in Arizona.
During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Cejudo addressed his status towards a UFC comeback and sounded less than optimistic.
“I don’t think so,” Cejudo said. “I think the way that things are going, I think I talked too much sh*t. I think I picked on (UFC president) Dana (White) a little too much. He’s just not going to pay me. I’ve accepted that. This is why I’m able to throw out the kitchen sink from now on because it’s never going to change. It’s not going to change.”
Cejudo went on to criticize White and the UFC’s pay model in light of recent deals with Jorge Masvidal and UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
“He’s going to pay Jorge. He’s going to pay the 1 percent. He’s going to pay the entertainers – and that’s partially what I am. I’m an entertainer. I could sell a damn fight and I can fight better than all those dudes combined. It sucks, but that’s just the way it is. It’s just business. I ain’t mad. (I’m) maybe a little frustrated, but I ain’t mad. That’s just life.”
Masvidal and Adesanya earned mega deals leading up to their recent fights, prompting frustration from Cejudo. His issues with the UFC have allegedly been financially related and could’ve potentially led to his retirement.
Cejudo is regarded as arguably one of the greatest combat sports athletes of all time. After earning a gold medal in Olympic Wrestling, he earned UFC titles at flyweight and bantamweight and wrapped up his UFC tenure with six straight wins.
Do you think Henry Cejudo will fight in the UFC again?
