Former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo dropped the gloves after a unanimous loss to Payton Talbott last weekend at UFC 323. After ending his three-year retirement in 2023, Cejudo suffered four consecutive defeats to end his career, including losses to Merab Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling.
While Cejudo is still considered an all-time great, many have questioned his decision to retire in 2020 and his subsequent comeback attempt at UFC 288. Cejudo’s last UFC win came against Dominick Cruz at UFC 249.
Cejudo’s rise to UFC stardom began when he upset Demetrious Johnson to win the UFC flyweight title. Since their rematch, Cejudo and Johnson have become good friends, and Johnson blames himself for Cejudo’s late-career problems.
Demetrious Johnson ‘guilty’ of Henry Cejudo’s failed UFC comeback
In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Johnson took responsibility for Cejudo’s skid to end his UFC career.
“He has his last fight against Payton Talbott, and he loses there, so he continues a four-fight losing streak before retiring from mixed martial arts,” Johnson said of Cejudo.
“I always say this: I always feel like it’s my fault for bailing him out of retirement, or giving him a few words to get him out of retirement, because I said this is literally the easiest money you can make.
“There’s nowhere in the world where a guy who’s six feet tall and weighs 125 to 135 pounds, trains for eight weeks, goes out there and fights, and makes $350,000, six figures,” Johnson explains. “It’s very hard to find that. So from an athlete’s perspective, it’s easy money, but he paid the price and got beat up. He did well, but he just kept backing off and backing off and backing off, and Father Time is undefeated.” (h/t MMA junkie)
Cejudo and Johnson could both enter the UFC Hall of Fame next year. Johnson retired after a trilogy win over Adriano Moraes at ONE Championship in 2023.
#Demetrious #Johnson #blames #Henry #Cejudos #fourfight #skid #UFC #retirement #reversed #BJPenn.com