Henry Cejudo indicates he is not retiring after a loss in his comeback fight and aims to fight top bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili.
Henry Cejudo seems to have made up his mind regarding his fighting future. After a three-year layoff, the former two-division champion came back strong in his UFC 288 comeback fight; however, a split decision led to reigning bantamweight titleholder, Aljamain Sterling, winning. Following the match, Cejudo, age 36, was indecisive about whether he would compete again or return to retirement.
On Monday, Cejudo posted on Instagram, indicating that he is not retiring and is instead aiming for a match against top bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili, a close friend, and training partner of Sterling’s. The Instagram post read, “This s*** is far from over. [Dana White] I want [Dvalishvili’s] head on a plate.” He also tagged the post with the hashtag #UFCBoston, suggesting that the fight occurs at an anticipated card in Boston on August 19.
If the matchup is made, a victory would put Cejudo back in the title conversation, despite him receiving an immediate shot at Sterling after retiring in 2020. Cejudo had previously held UFC gold at bantamweight and flyweight, having defeated numerous top names in his initial run with the promotion. Dvalishvili is currently tied with Sterling for the longest win streak in the division with nine wins in a row. Although Dvalishvili has defeated several contenders, his career is made more complicated by the fact that he and Sterling have vowed not to fight each other.