Henry Cejudo has finally retired from the sport, and he wants to leave without carrying animosity toward fellow fighters. Before calling it a career, ‘Triple C’ publicly apologized to Brandon Moreno at the UFC 323 pre-fight presser, putting an end to their long-standing tension, which stemmed from Cejudo picking Alexandre Pantoja for his team on TUF 24. Now, the former two-division champion has also decided to close the chapter on his three-year-old beef with Khamzat Chimaev.

For the unversed, the relationship between ‘Triple C’ and ‘Borz’ turned hostile in 2022. During a joint podcast appearance with The Schmo, Chimaev left his hat in the studio. In a later episode, Paulo Costa picked it up and shoved it into his underwear. Apparently, Cejudo laughed at the Brazilian’s antics, which only made the situation uglier. The blatant disrespect enraged Chimaev, who later confronted the now-retired former champion at the 2024 Olympics as well. So, after three years of bad blood, the ex-champ has decided to come clean, apologizing to the Chechen-Emirati for how everything unfolded back then. 

Henry Cejudo calls Khamzat Chimaev “a legend”

“You know, I would like to apologize to him, because that whole thing that happened with the hat. Like, I get it. I’m in the content business, so to me… I’m always trying to get reaction from people. But I think that was just wrong timing.” ‘Triple C’ explained in an interview with Red Corner MMA. 

Well, Henry Cejudo is known for stirring the pot, especially when it comes to other fighters, often with his bold takes. For instance, Conor McGregor trolled him heavily after his loss to Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288. The reason? The former two-division champion had previously criticized Conor’s fighting style, so the Irishman fired back by mocking Cejudo’s fight breakdown approach.

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However, in this case, Cejudo understood long before that his friend Paulo Costa crossed the line. He acknowledged that mistake and even apologized for his actions last year during a Home of Fight interview. At present, the former UFC champ has sincerely doubled down on that apology, accepting his defeat, while also giving Khamzat Chimaev his flowers as one of the best in the game. 

“And if I could say something to Khamzat, ‘I’m sorry, bro.’ I apologize, man! You’re a legend. You paid owes to the guys that I look up to. I don’t wanna fight with you, bro. So, this is a sincere apology to you.” ‘Triple C’ added. 

So, as Henry Cejudo has made the first move toward squashing the beef, anticipation around Khamzat Chimaev’s response has also increased, with many expecting both sides to reach a truce. In the meantime, the recently retired legend has also looked back on his career, reflecting on his remarkable journey. 

‘Triple C’ has no regrets about how his second stint played out

The 38-year-old former two-weight world champion announced his first retirement after defending the bantamweight belt against Dominick Cruz at UFC 249. At the time, Cejudo stood on top of the world, walking away from MMA while still holding his status as the 135-pound king, something rarely seen in the sport. However, his return to the UFC proved largely underwhelming, as ‘Triple C’ failed to win a single fight after coming out of retirement.

Because of that, many fans and even experts believe Henry might carry some regrets. Yet, the American-Mexican has made it clear that most fighters would trade anything to be in his position, and he is not losing sleep over how his career ended the second time around at UFC 323.

“If I could leave like Khabib or Jon Jones, then it would be like, ‘Oh, he is the greatest combat athlete of all time,’” Cejudo told Bloody Elbow. “But because of these losses, it was like, ‘Oh, he’s one of them.’ But if you really think back and look at the resume and what I’ve done, doing s— that people can only dream of. I beat the best of my generation at the best of their time. All of them.”

Well, that rings true. Even though fans often grill ‘Triple C’ for his underwhelming comeback run, his place remains firmly in the top echelon whenever the flyweight GOAT debate comes up. After all, how many 125-pounders can say they defeated Demetrious Johnson? Henry Cejudo can.

That said, as one of the sport’s true masters has finally retired and now looks to mend old bridges, do you think his legacy ranks among the very best in UFC’s history? Let us know in the comments section below.