So much for the idea that Henry Cejudo’s retirement could be just a negotiating tactic.
On Sunday, TMZ released a portion of its interview with Cejudo’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, in which he suggests that the UFC bantamweight champion’s stunning announcement won’t hold for very long.
“First of all, people understand my relationship with Dana White and the UFC. I don’t (talk) about money publicly,” Abdelaziz said. “I think Dana’s right: I think Henry’s been talking about retirement. Do I think Henry’s gonna retire? Absolutely not. I don’t think Henry’s gonna retire.”
Abdelaziz continued on to compare Cejudo’s situation to another one of his clients, UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“Khabib right? Every time he fights, ‘I think I’m done.’ Two weeks later, ‘Who do you think I should fight next?’ Right?” Abdelaziz said. “These guys, they’re at their prime. Henry’s gonna be coming now into his prime. How you gonna retire in your prime, and the (UFC 249) pay-per-view did so well, and you’ve gotta make some money? Could things be changed a little bit? Yes, of course. But at the end of the day, this is between us. It’s between me and Henry and the UFC. I don’t think the media should know about this stuff, because people’s egos get big.”
Cejudo stunned the MMA world last week after defeating Dominick Cruz by announcing his retirement inside the octagon during his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.
Cejudo won the UFC flyweight title in August 2018 when he dethroned longtime title holder Demetrious Johnson via split decision, which he considers the biggest highlight of his career. Ten months later, Cejudo became a simultaneous two-division champion after claiming the vacant bantamweight title with a win over Marlon Moraes. Cejudo’s win over Cruz meant he became just the second fighter in UFC history to defend a title in two different weight classes.
At 33, Cejudo showed he remain at the top of his game in his return from injury at UFC 249, and he has plenty of 135-pound contenders calling his name. As his popularity as the self-proclaimed “King of Cringe” surged since last year, Cejudo talked about wanting to be paid more money. Skeptics viewed his shocking announcement as an attempt to get a new deal.
But the way Abdelaziz sees it, Cejudo’s retirement won’t hold up regardless.
“Henry’s got everybody on their knees right now,” Abdelaziz said. “I don’t think he’s gonna retire. You’re gonna see him fight by this summer. This is what I think.”
