They made peace! Dana White confirms bonus for Cejudo and praises him after retirement war at UFC 323.

Cejudo promotes UFC event. Photo: Reproduction/X/UFC

Dana White finally acknowledged the greatness of Henry Cejudo . At UFC 323, an event held last Saturday (6), in Las Vegas (USA), the veteran starred in a war against the promising Payton Talbott , but, in the end, lost by unanimous decision and retired from MMA. In the post-event press conference, the company president opened up about 'Triple C' and made important revelations.

Dana announced that Cejudo, even though he didn't win the performance or fight of the night bonus, was honored as he had requested. Furthermore, the UFC president, who never seemed to be a fan of the combat sports legend, admitted he was surprised by his resilience, as he struggled in the octagon but didn't give up.

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And it didn't stop there. The UFC leader confessed to being disappointed with 'Triple C' for deciding to retire at his peak in 2020, but made it clear that they had smoothed over the rough edges of their relationship and praised his career.

“It’s official. Cejudo showed a lot of grit, took some very hard hits and kept fighting until the end. I was very angry when he retired. I thought it was a terrible idea. He was at the peak of his career. We talked about it backstage. The guy had an incredible career, not only as a fighter, but as an athlete. Everything is fine,” said the UFC president.

Cejudo harmed himself.

In 2020, Cejudo surprised fans and MMA professionals by announcing his retirement after knocking out Dominick Cruz . At the time, the American was at the peak of his career. 'Triple C' returned to the UFC in 2023 and, from then on, accumulated losses. After the long period away, the veteran lost all four fights he competed in against Aljamain Sterling , Merab Dvalishvili , Payton Talbott , and Song Yadong.

Legendary fighter

Henry Cejudo , 38, is a legend in combat sports. At his peak, the American won the gold medal in wrestling at the 2008 Beijing Olympics (China), and in the UFC, he was champion in the flyweight (up to 57 kg) and bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg) divisions. In MMA, 'Triple C' built a record of 16 wins and six losses. His main victories were over Demetrious Johnson , Dominick Cruz , Marlon Moraes , Sergio Pettis, and TJ Dillashaw.

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