UFC 249: Henry Cejudo says he’s retiring from MMA after TKO win against Dominick Cruz
- ‘Triple C’ defends his bantamweight title with controversial second-round stoppage over former champ Cruz
- ‘I’m done with the sport … I'm retiring tonight and I'm happy with my career ending on a high,’ says Cejudo
UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo said he is retiring after defending his title against Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 on Saturday night.
“Uncle Dana, the UFC … thank you so much. I'm done with the sport,” Cejudo said in a shock announcement after the fight. “I'm 33, I have a girl, since I was 11 years old I sacrificed my whole life [for this].
“I'm retiring tonight and I'm happy with my career ending on a high. Thank you so much. Triple C’s out, you don't have to hear me any more.”
Cejudo (16-2) got Cruz (22-3) with a perfectly-timed knee towards the end of the second round, dropping the former 135-pound champion.
“Triple C” continued to land punches to Cruz’s head until referee Keith Peterson waived the fight off with two seconds left in the round.
Cruz was unhappy about the stoppage, saying he was working his way back up to his feet.
“I'm a chameleon, I can adjust,” said Cejudo, who was cut open from a clash of heads just before he threw the knee.
“You can try and stutter me but I have a great coach and he put the game plan together … we stuck to the game plan and that's all she wrote.
“I'm ruthless. I may be cringey, corny, but boy can I fight. I am the greatest combat sports athlete of all time. Nobody has my resume. I just defended my bantamweight belt, defended my flyweight belt, and did I mention I'm an Olympic champion?”
Help us understand what you are interested in so that we can improve SCMP and provide a better experience for you. We would like to invite you to take this five-minute survey on how you engage with SCMP and the news.
