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On May 9, Henry “Triple C” Cejudo defended his UFC bantamweight title for the first time when he defeated former champ Dominick Cruz in the co-main event of UFC 249. Triple C turned in an impressive performance, finishing Cruz in the second round by TKO.
After Cejudo had his hand raised and the belt wrapped around his waist, he spoke to Joe Rogan for a post-fight interview. Triple C, 33, shocked fans around the world when he announced that he was retiring from the sport. A few weeks later, Cejudo made good on his promise and he officially vacated his bantamweight belt. Triple C was also removed from the official UFC bantamweight and pound-for-pound rankings.
However, Triple C has not shut down the idea of returning to the Octagon. In a recent interview with TMZ, Cejudo said that he would fight in the UFC again if he could square off against the current featherweight champ, Alexander Volkanovski. The former flyweight and bantamweight champion told the outlet that he’s happy with what he’s done in his UFC career, but fighting Volkanovski and scoring a third belt in a weight class excites him.
As transcribed by TMZ, Cejudo said, “I’ve done everything in MMA. I’m satisfied with my career. There would only be one fight that would really bring me back, that would really wake me up in the morning … it would be Alexander Volkanovski.”
Triple C said that he wants to be known as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. Cejudo feels like the can accomplish that if he wins a third UFC championship, something no other fighter has ever done before.
A showdown between Cejudo and Volkanovski would be an exciting superfight pitting two of the greatest fighters in the sport. Volkanovski is 21-1, and he won the featherweight title from Max Holloway at UFC 245 in December 2019. Volkanovski’s next fight has not been announced, however a rematch between him and Holloway is the likely option.
Cejudo has also shared interest in boxing WBC Silver lightweight champion Ryan Garcia.
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Henry Cejudo Retired on May 9 After Defeating Dominick Cruz
Cejudo improved his professional mixed martial arts record to 16-2 after defeating Dominick Cruz at UFC 249. His TKO victory was his eighth victory by either KO or TKO — Cejudo has won eight fights by unanimous decision.
After Cejudo was officially announced the winner, he spoke with Joe Rogan. Here is a clip of their post-fight interview:
Triple C out. 🏆🏅🏆
Cejudo said, “I’m retiring tonight Joe. I’m 33 years old, I’m happy with my career. Again, Uncle Dana, I want to say thank you for everything. You’re the man.”
Triple C continued, “Triple C’s out. You guys don’t have to hear my a** no more.”
After news broke about Cejudo vacating his bantamweight title, he tweeted: “Thank you for the awesome experiences uncle @danawhite I will forever be grateful. Thank you for taking a chance on the sport that people thought would never make it. To all my coaches and fans it been a wonderful ride. Triple C is out.”
Thank you for the awesome experiences uncle @danawhite I will forever be grateful. Thank you for taking a chance on the sport that people thought would never make it. To all my coaches and fans it been a wonderful ride. Triple C is out 🎤 #retiredontop
Cejudo Is One of Four Fighters to Simultaneously Hold 2 Championship Belts in the UFC
Triple C is one of four UFC fighters in history to hold two belt simultaneously. At one point, Cejudo was the flyweight and bantamweight champion. Two other men have held two belts at the same time in the UFC: Irish fighting superstar Conor McGregor was the featherweight and lightweight champion, and Daniel Cormier was the light heavyweight and heavyweight champion.
Amanda Nunes is currently the women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion. On June 6 at UFC 250, Nunes successfully defended her featherweight title against Felicia Spencer, making Nunes the first fighter ever to hold two belts at the same time and defend each one.
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