Henry Cejudo takes his shoes off, signaling his retirement from wrestling, after losing at the 2012 Olympic Team Trials (Photo/Larry Slater)After Henry Cejudo announced his retirement from MMA on May 9 at UFC 249, speculation swirled about what was next for the 2008 Olympic gold medalist. One thing appears to be certain: Cejudo won't be making a wrestling comeback.
"I'm a fan of wrestling, but I could never see myself coming back," Cejudo told United World Wrestling's Eric Olanowski in a UWW Live interview. "I respect the game so much. I respect it so much that I don't think I could do that."
As for a return to the Octagon, the 33-year-old Cejudo said the only fight that would interest him is against UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski for a chance to become a three-division champion.
"It would only be that fight because I have done so much in the sport," said Cejudo. "It's beautiful to leave the way I'm leaving, to leave on top. In wrestling, a lot of Olympic champions, when they win the Olympics, they retire. The majority of them, and it's beautiful."
Cejudo reached the pinnacle of wrestling at the age of 21 while training under two-time world champion Terry Brands. He hopes to return to Iowa City to visit Brands and train with Olympic hopeful Spencer Lee. He believes Lee is special.
"He's a special human being because of what he's done in wrestling, but he's also special to me because of who is teaching him. It's almost like we become part of that same lineage."
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