Henry Cejudo Opens Up Forward Of UFC Retirement Battle

Henry Cejudo is returning to the Octagon at UFC 323 … question is, will it be the last fight for arguably the most decorated combat sports athlete ever?!

That’s what we asked Triple C when he joined the “TMZ Sports” TV show (airs nightly on FS1) and livestream (daily at 1 PM PT) … just days before 38-year-old Cejudo makes the walk Saturday night for his fight against Payton Talbott.

“Saturday’s my last fight. I’ve been doing this since the age of 11. Do I still have it physically? 100%. But I just feel like I’ve been able to learn a lot of new things in life, and I’m just ready for the second chapter, man,” Cejudo told Babcock.

Cejudo, of course, is one of only 11 fighters in UFC history to be champion in two divisions. Unlike any of those other amazing athletes, Henry is the only one who also has an Olympic gold medal (in freestyle wrestling).

We also asked Cejudo if he’s thought about the kind of emotions he might feel on Saturday.

“Not really. To me, it’s just another fight,” Cejudo said, laughing.

“If there’s anything that kind of came up, came about, it’s just a little bit of gratitude, you going through these hard camps and having coaches and training partners sacrifice their time for you, I think that’s the only thing that really comes to mind that I’m really feeling, but other than that bro, it’s all business in there.”

As for what he has planned for his post-fighting life, here’s what Henry told us.

“I’m gonna be 39 next month. I’m 38 now, 38 years young. I want to enjoy the holidays. I’m dabbling in real estate, and a bunch of other stuff. Obviously, the content with Pound 4 Pound. I’m happy with this decision.”

We also talked to Triple C about the 7-inch height disadvantage he’ll face this weekend, if Merab Dvalishvili is the G.O.A.T. bantamweight, and much more.