Henry Cejudo's two-time UFC rival gives surprising take on his fighting future after UFC Seattle
02/23/2025 06:34 PM
Former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo’s fighting future is foggy after a controversial defeat in Seattle.
Henry Cejudo‘s path to another UFC title shot narrowed after a loss to Song Yadong in the UFC Seattle main event on Saturday. After a back-and-forth first three rounds of the fight, the bout was abruptly stopped after Cejudo was deemed ineligible to continue competing due to an eye injury from an accidental poke.
The fight was ruled a technical decision due to the fight surpassing the halfway point. It was unanimously scored in Yadong’s favor, and he walked away with the win.
After a third-consecutive defeat at UFC Seattle, Cejudo is in a peculiar spot in his combat sports career. At 38 years old, time is likely running out for another title push, further complicated by the UFC Seattle result.
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Demetrious Johnson reacts to Henry Cejudo’s third straight loss at UFC Seattle
During a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Demetrious Johnson reacted to Cejudo’s performance and weighed in on what could be next for his fighting career.
“Now he’s on a three-fight losing streak, what is he doing next?” Johnson asked. “I don’t see the point of it…the likelihood of Henry Cejudo getting opportunities to keep on fighting number one contenders over and over again, I just don’t see it happening. Not saying that it can’t, but I don’t see it happening…
“Would I like to see Henry Cejudo retire? Yeah, I think so. He’s beaten me, flyweight champion, defended the belt, bantamweight champion…that’s more than half of the m—–f—— on the roster are ever going to do…man almost went blind…he’s got a great podcast with Kamaru Usman, two beautiful children, beautiful wife, businesses, there’s no reason to fight and keep risking his health.”
Johnson and Cejudo competed twice in their fighting careers. The then-UFC flyweight champion Johnson finished Cejudo at UFC 197 by first-round TKO before Cejudo got his revenge by winning the title over Johnson by split decision at UFC 227.
As of this writing, Cejudo remains insistent on continuing to compete and is hopeful of securing a rematch with Yadong. But the UFC matchmakers stand in the way of making his hopes come to fruition.
Henry Cejudo took issue with Dana White’s post-fight comments after UFC Seattle
UFC CEO Dana White responded to questions about a potential Cejudo vs. Yadong rematch by quickly axing the possibility at the UFC Seattle press conference. Cejudo didn’t take long to answer White’s comments, pleading with the UFC headman in a post-fight statement to make the rematch happen.
Yadong and Cejudo both expressed profound interest in booking a rematch for a later date. But Yadong also called out a former titleholder at the press conference, in case White and the matchmakers aren’t keen on the idea.
Cejudo is undoubtedly one of the greatest combat sports athletes of all time, but it’s uncertain what’s next for him after UFC Seattle. Johnson, who has become a close friend of Cejudo’s, wants to see the legend hang up the gloves in favor of greener pastures.
