UFC Legend ‘Forced’ to Retire by Dana White Immediately Finds New Career

A former UFC champion that claims he would have been cut by Dana White if he did not retire has already found the next step of his career.

It's a well known fact that in combat sports many fighters are unable to admit when their time at the top of the sport is over, leading to them continuing to fight long past their best days.

Within the UFC, a recent notable example is former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley who, after dominating the dominated the division for years, has recently been knocked out by both Jake Paul and a 50-year-old Anderson Silva in the boxing ring.

In some cases, the people around these fighters may attempt the make the decision to call time on their career on their behalf, with UFC president and CEO White sometimes forcefully cutting a fighter from the organisation.

But there's one UFC legend who, knowing that White was going to cut him if he wanted to continue fighting, decided to bow out on his own terms, allowing him to take on a new venture outside of MMA.

Former UFC flyweight and bantamweight Champion Henry Cejudo is undoubtedly among the very best fighters in the UFC, boasting a professional record of 16 wins and six losses with notable wins over Demetrious Johnson, TJ Dillashaw and Marlon Moraes.

The 2008 Olympic gold medallist initially retired while holding the bantamweight title in May 2020 but later returned to the UFC three years after his previous bout in May 2023.

However, the wrester's return didn't exactly go to plan as Cejudo went on a losing streak of four fights before once again confirming his retirement following the brutal loss to young talent Payton Talbott in December.

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During the post-fight press conference, the 38-year-old admitted that, even if he had wanted to continue fighting after the loss, UFC boss White would likely have forced him into retirement by cutting him from the organisation.

When asked if his second retirement was final, Cejudo replied: "I think Dana (White) would cut me after this, so this is real!"

A post from X account UFC Roster Tracker, which monitors and automatically updates fans on fighters being added or removed, confirmed Cejudo was no longer a registered UFC fighter on January 8.

"I think Dana (White) would cut me. This is real."

Henry Cejudo says his #UFC323 retirement is not a bluff and he's 100% done. pic.twitter.com/a6unBcvYC8

— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) December 3, 2025

Henry Cejudo confirms next career move after leaving UFC

But just because Cejudo has left the UFC doesn't mean that his career competing in professional sports is over as, just weeks after his final MMA fight, the American is set to fellow UFC legend Uriah Faber at a Real American Freestyle (RAF) wrestling event.

The pair will compete against each other on February 28 as the headline match of a card set to take place at the Mullett Arena in Tempe, Arizona.

Several former and current UFC fighters have recently been competing in the RAF, with their next event on January 10 headlined by former UFC titleholders Colby Covington and Luke Rockhold, with Arman Tsarukyan, Yoel Romero and Bo Nickal also featuring.