A lot is at stake for Henry Cejudo at UFC 298.
Cejudo (16-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) meets the streaking Merab Dvalishvili (16-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) Feb. 17 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims expected on ESPN and ESPN+.
Cejudo, who fell short to Aljamain Sterling in their title fight at UFC 288, is contemplating hanging up his gloves again if he loses to Dvalishvili.
“This is for the No. 1 contender spot,” Cejudo said on “The HJR Experiment.” “I think to have to lose it to Aljamain, I think if I was going to go maybe down the ladder, I would probably be done with fighting again because it’s just like the sport is hard, man. Training camps, having two kids, and things like that. … It’s all or nothing, man.”
Cejudo retired in May 2020 after retaining his bantamweight title against Dominick Cruz. The former UFC dual-champion got the itch to return three years later where he lost a competitive fight to then champion Sterling this past May.
Cejudo, 36, admits money was also a big factor in his decision to return.
“It’s more of a motivation of vengeance,” Cejudo said. “It’s not always the love. Even coming back to the sport, I was like, ‘I want to test myself.’ I like the matchup (vs. Sterling). It has been three years, but it was also the financial compensation. I mean, there’s nothing easier to make money than the fight game.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.
Henry Cejudo ponders retirement if he loses to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 298: ‘It’s all or nothing’
