Dana White gives honest answer to why Henry Cejudo was not given the mic for potential retirement after UFC 298 loss

Henry Cejudo and Merab Dvalishvili locked horns in a bantamweight showdown on the main card of UFC 298. The event took place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, on Saturday, February 17.

'The Machine' got the better of his opponent for the majority of the fight and got his hand raised via unanimous decision. All three judges scored the bout 29-28 in favor of Dvalishvili.

After his fight at UFC 298, Cejudo was not given a chance to speak with Joe Rogan for his post-fight octagon interview.

UFC CEO Dana White weighed in on the incident at the post-fight press conference [via MMA Junkie]. White issued a brutal statement saying that Cejudo had already retired in the past and the moment belonged to Dvalishvili.

"Henry Cejudo already retired. He did the whole 'drop the gloves' thing. Tonight was Merab's night. Merab went in there and fought the number three guy in the world, former world champion. He won easily... If [Henry Cejudo] wants to retire again, he can do it here [at the press-conference] or someplace else. You don't give the mic to Cejudo tonight," White stated.

Check out his comments below:

In his statement, White was referring to 'The Messenger's fight against Dominick Cruz in May 2020. Cejduo defeated Cruz via TKO in the second round that night to defend his bantamweight throne.

After the victory, the 37-year-old announced his retirement from the sport of MMA. But throughout the years, Cejudo kept talking about returning to action. 'The Messenger; eventually did come out of retirement in May 2023 and fought Aljamain Sterling for the title at UFC 288.

The bout was a highly competitive affair that went the 25-minute distance. In the end, 'Funk Master' edged out a split decision victory. The three judges scored the contest 48-47, 47-48, and 48-47 in favor of Sterling.