Dana White explains why Henry Cejudo was not given the mic following his loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 298: “Cejudo already retired, okay?”

UFC CEO Dana White has explained why Henry Cejudo wasn’t given the chance to speak on the microphone at UFC 298.

At UFC 298, Henry Cejudo fell short in his attempt to defeat Merab Dvalishvili. After the bout, Cejudo took off his gloves immediately – which can often be a sign that a fighter is going to retire. The expectation was that he’d receive the microphone during the post-fight interviews but for whatever reason, that didn’t happen.

RELATED: Dana White reflects on Henry Cejudo’s ‘ridiculous’ decision to retire: “He was in his f*cking prime!”

As we know, Cejudo retired once before back in 2020. After three years away, he returned to face Aljamain Sterling, losing a narrow decision. He wound up with a similar result against Dvalishvili, leaving his position in the bantamweight division up in the air.

When Dana White was asked about ‘Triple C’ during the post-fight press conference, he had the following to say.

White’s brutal Cejudo view

“Merab went in there tonight and beat a former champion in Henry Cejudo. Henry Cejudo already retired, okay?” White said. “He did the whole ‘Drop the gloves’ thing. Tonight was Merab’s night. He beat the No. 3 guy in the world, a former world champion, and easily won the fight…if he wants to retire again, he can do that [at the press conference] or somewhere else…

“You don’t give the mic to Cejudo tonight.”

Quotes via MMA News

There are still plenty of questions regarding the veteran’s future. At this moment in time, it’s not quite clear what his next move is going to be – but nobody can deny the impact he’s been able to have on mixed martial arts.

Do you agree with Dana White’s remarks regarding Henry Cejudo? Will we ever see him fight again? Let us know your thoughts, BJPENN Nation!