"Henry was very creative" - Chael Sonnen praises Henry Cejudo for making headlines despite retiring from MMA
Chael Sonnen has praised Henry Cejudo for still being in the headlines despite walking away from the sport two years ago.
Cejudo, the former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion, is considered to be one of the greatest combat sports athletes of all time. In addition to his status as a two-division UFC champion, he is also a former Olympic gold medallist.
Cejudo announced his retirement following his win over Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 in 2020. In recent times, 'Triple C' has been rallying for a shot at the featherweight title in pursuit of triple-champ status. In a recent episode of Beyond The Fight, Chael Sonnen praised the former champ-champ for staying relevant despite his absence from the octagon.
Sonnen said:
"Nobody has done a better job of leaving the sport and staying in the headlines than Henry Cejudo. None of that was by accident. Henry was creative, he was very cunning... He always kept his name more in the headlines than any champion who has ever walked away from the sport."
Check out Chael Sonnen's comments on Henry Cejudo below:
Henry Cejudo believes he’ll never fight again because he upset Dana White
Henry Cejudo has been vocal about his stipulations to fight again, which he thinks may have cost him his chance at returning to the octagon. The former UFC champ went as far as taking a dig at middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and former title challenger Jorge Masvidal, who both recently signed new lucrative contracts with the UFC.
Cejudo has mocked the UFC's decision to give a lucrative contract to Masvidal in particular, considering the BMF titleholder's recent shortcomings. He believes his achievements warrant a new deal as well and has vowed not to return unless his financial conditions are met. In an interview with MMA Junkie, he said:
“I think the way that things are going, I think I talked too much s**t. I think I picked on Dana [White] a little too much. He’s just not going to pay me. I’ve accepted that. This is why I’m able to throw out the kitchen sink from now on because it’s never going to change. It’s not going to change."
.@HenryCejudo doesn't like his odds for a UFC return.
"I think I talked too much sh*t"
@dannyseguratv's interview: bit.ly/3tQOCdP https://t.co/VvUcOiAxdr
Life outside of the octagon has been pretty busy for Cejudo since his retirement. He landed a commentary gig with Khabib Nurmagomedov's Eagle FC and has been working as an analyst for the promotion as well.
Cejudo has also been training with numerous fighters at the Fight Ready gym in Arizona, including Zhang Weili, Deiveson Figueiredo, Jiri Prochazka and Jon Jones.