Henry Cejudo apparently has walked back any thoughts of potential retirement after UFC 288.
Cejudo (16-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) immediately pondered his future when he fell short to bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling by split decision in this past Saturday’s main event at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. He took his gloves off in his post-fight octagon interview with Joe Rogan and said he was confused when addressing what’s next at the post-fight news conference.
But after some thought, “Triple C” apparently has decided to continue fighting and wants No. 1-ranked bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili on the projected UFC 292 pay-per-view Aug. 20 in Boston. UFC 292 is also being discussed to feature Sterling’s next title defense against Sean O’Malley.
“This sh*t is far from over! @danawhite I want @merab.dvalishvili head on a plate! #ufcboston.”
That was enough to get a response from Dvalishvili on social media.
Let’s Go! I will take another of @funkmasterMMA ‘s leftovers .. for now! https://t.co/I7jVSbcaxp
— Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili (@MerabDvalishvil) May 8, 2023
Dvalishvili (16-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) refuses to fight teammate Sterling for the title and has been content to knock off top contenders in the meantime. Cejudo recently called Dvalishvili “easy money,” dubbing him an easier fight than Sterling. Dvalishvili attempted a UFC record 49 takedowns en route to a unanimous decision win over former champion Petr Yan at UFC Fight Night 221.
Cejudo’s loss to Sterling marked his first fight in three years. The former dual champion had his six-fight winning streak snapped, which included title wins over Dominick Cruz, Marlon Moraes, T.J. Dillashaw, and Demetrious Johnson.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 288.
