Henry Cejudo shocked the MMA world when he revealed that he was going to retire after successfully defending his bantamweight title at UFC 249, but his manager Ali Abdelaziz is already hinting that it might not be a permanent decision.
There had already been suspicions that might be the case when Cejudo insisted that he wanted to “start a new chapter in my life” and focus on raising a family, but then mentioned that, “I know my worth” – suggesting that he could still return for the right price.
Now Abdelaziz has further hinted that his return might all hinge on getting the right financial deal in place.
“First of all, people understand my relationship with Dana White and the UFC. I don’t [talk] about money publicly,” Abdelaziz told TMZ Sports. “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 also went on to suggest that fighters like Cejudo can often be overemotional in the immediate aftermath of a fight, but often then think differently once the dust has settled.
“Khabib right? Every time he fights, ‘I think I’m done.’ Two weeks later, ‘Who do you think I should fight next?’ Right? 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.”
