Henry Cejudo officially announces his retirement, MMA world reacts

• Henry Cejudo officially calls it a day in the aftermath of his UFC 249 win.
• 'Triple C' last defended the UFC Bantamweight Title against Dominick Cruz.

At this month's UFC 249 pay-per-view, Henry Cejudo successfully retained the UFC Bantamweight Championship over former champion, Dominick Cruz. 'Triple C' finished-off the returning Cruz via TKO in the co-main event of the evening and in his post-fight interview, Cejudo announced his retirement from the sport.

In a recent tweet, Cejudo has officially confirmed that he is indeed stepping down from the pedestal and is hanging up his gloves. The now-former UFC Bantamweight Champion thanked UFC President, Dana White for the opportunity that was given to him and sent out a heartfelt message.

Henry Cejudo officially announces his retirement

It was initially to be believed that Henry Cejudo's retirement from MMA was a one-off thing and 'Triple C' would've eventually made his return to the Octagon, once he was offered the right paycheck by the UFC.

However, that certainly wasn't the case to be, as Cejudo has officially called it a career, taking it to Twitter and confirming his retirement. 'Triple C' sent out a heartfelt message where he thanked Dana White for the awesome experiences that he will forever be grateful for.

Cejudo further thanked all his coaches and fans who had supported him throughout his wonderful ride and ended with the hashtag "retiredontop". Which Cejudo indeed did, as he finished his career as a UFC Champion.

Here is what Cejudo wrote in his emotional retirement message:

Many from the MMA world sent in their wishes to Triple C and wished him a happy retirement as well.

Henry Cejudo's run in the UFC

Henry Cejudo signed with the UFC back in July of 2014 and made quite the name for himself in the organization. 'Triple C' competed in the promotion's flyweight and bantamweight division. And, at UFC 227, Cejudo created history when he challenged Demetrious Johnson in a rematch for the UFC Flyweight Championship after initially challenging 'Mighty Mouse' two years prior.

Cejudo eventually went on to win the UFC Flyweight Title, in what was arguably one of the finest performances on his MMA career. At UFC 238, Cejudo challenged Marlon Moraes for the vacant UFC Bantamweight Championship and won the fight via TKO in order to mark the beginning of his reign as a UFC Double Champion.

Henry Cejudo's career in the UFC was definitely one to remember and by the looks of it, the former UFC Double Champion won't be returning anytime soon to the Octagon. Nevertheless, it now remains to be seen what plans Dana White has in store for the UFC's Bantamweight Division with the title being vacated by Cejudo. The likes of Petr Yan, Aljamain Sterling, and Cory Sandhagen are some of the top names in the stacked UFC Bantamweight Division and could end up fighting for the vacant title.

Published 26 May 2020, 04:56 IST