Former UFC champion Henry Cejudo made a surprising disclosure about Conor McGregor in a recent podcast with MMA journalist, Chamatkar Sandhu.
The former UFC champion bluntly declared that he “does not believe Conor McGregor would fight again,” thus dismissing the prospect of a fight between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler as mere speculation.
The development has re-ignited a debate over the potential future of one of the sport’s biggest personalities. This is amid the uncertainty over the 34-year-old’s relationship with the drug testing agency, USADA.
The rivalry between Conor McGregor and Henry Cejudo: How did it start?
Cejudo and McGregor have an intense rivalry that dates back to 2016. Conor at that time was scheduled to face Nate Diaz in a rematch that would have headlined UFC 200. However, he was abruptly dropped by the UFC management. The UFC blamed this on his inability to attend a press conference.
Several fighters demonstrated their support for McGregor except for the leading flyweight title challenger Henry Cejudo. Cejudo had praised the UFC for teaching a lesson to McGregor.
In an interview with MMAFighting.com, the former flyweight argued, “I think it’s good for the UFC. The UFC, they need to start stepping up and doing things like that. If you think you’re higher than UFC, if you think you’re better than all the other fighters, then maybe you should get pulled. So, I think it’s a good discipline.”
The feud was reignited again in 2020. This time “Triple C” roasted the Dubliner on his Twitter handle, calling the UFC superstar a “wannabe good guy.” Cejudo, who was a two-division champion by then, was apparently celebrating his seven years in MMA.
How about this throwback! 7 years ago today you were warned to bend the knee to the Olympic Champion now known as Triple C! I walk the talk not like that wannabe good guy @thenotoriousmma that can’t defend a dam takedown! @danawhite #missionaccomplished ✅ pic.twitter.com/gxXQuZpMUB
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) January 30, 2020
Cejudo and McGregor were last spotted exchanging jabs on Twitter in 2022. This was a few months after UFC 264: Poirier vs. McGregor 3. As usual, it was Cejudo who started the trade.
Cejudo retweeted video footage reprimanding the Irishman for keeping a low guard.
Your hands are down and your distance is off. Stay away from them yes men. Just a tip from the 🐐 https://t.co/0vcxTQuK0k
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) March 11, 2022
However, this time McGregor was quick to respond. In a now-deleted tweet, McGregor called Cejudo “a fat midget novice.”
The former two-division champion followed it by calling Henry Cejudo “a f*rt”. He tweeted, “Henry Cejudo is a f*rt”. Triple C was swift to reply, “What do you know about farting, you always run out of gas.”.
Later that year Cejudo reacted to a video of Conor McGregor, calling it, “The Cringe Moment of the Year.”
What does Henry Cejudo think of Conor McGregor’s future in the UFC?
In a recent podcast with journalist Chamatkar Sandhu, Cejudo voiced his skepticism when questioned about Conor McGregor’s likely comeback. He said, “I don’t think Conor’s ever gonna fight again, a lot of it’s all just talk. He is too big. You think you go down weighing 255 pounds, weighing 200 pounds, and you think that’s gonna make you stronger? that’s not the way it works!!”
He further added, “Nah!! I think he’s made his money, he does not need to come back. Even if he comes back it will be about ego and that could go against him, but that could also help”.
The allegation made by Cejudo on Sandhu’s podcast sparked an intense discussion regarding Conor McGregor’s future prospects in MMA. With an unclear situation with USADA, only time will reveal if McGregor will face Chandler or not.
