Demetrious Johnson can appreciate Henry Cejudo’s recent comments about their legendary UFC 227 fight.
After adding another all-time great to his resume by successfully defending his bantamweight title against Dominick Cruz last weekend at UFC 249, Cejudo announced his retirement.
Chatting to the media backstage after the card, Cejudo said the defining moment in his MMA career is when he dethroned longtime UFC flyweight champion Johnson in 2018.
And for his part, “Mighty Mouse” says he appreciates the sentiment.
“That was awesome that Henry Cejudo said that,” Johnson told MMA Junkie. “I’ve never had anything bad to say about Henry, I think he’s hilarious with the whole ‘Triple C.’ You can’t deny that man, flyweight champ, bantamweight champ and let me remind you, he’s got a gold medal too, so yeah, I think him beating me was a big thing in his career, especially that he sees me as one of the greatest of all time and for him to say that, it’s awesome.
“If he wants to start the next chapter in his life, have kids and get married and keep on whatever follows that, that’s fantastic. I do nothing but support him.”
Cejudo surprised the MMA world when he announced his retirement, with many speculating that it could have simply been a negotiation tactic. But if this is really it for Cejudo, Johnson has nothing but praise towards his former rival.
“If Henry Cejudo retires I think he’s had a phenomenal mixed marital arts career,” Johnson said. “I understand what he means by going out on top and he doesn’t want nobody to take that away from him because if somebody comes and beats him then everybody will look back at his career and say ‘oh he didn’t do nothing great’ but that’s only if he allows people to take that away from him.
“Only time will tell if he really is retiring. It could be a money ploy, it could be a tactic for renegotiating but if he retires he retires, if he doesn’t, I mean he’s still young, he’s only 32 years old.”
Demetrious Johnson appreciates Henry Cejudo's shoutout for best career accomplishment
