Cejudo TKOs Cruz to retain bantamweight title, announces retirement

Henry Cejudo finished Dominick Cruz at 4:58 of the second round to retain the bantamweight title in the UFC 249 co-main event Saturday in Jacksonville.

"Triple C" made a surprise announcement after the fight, revealing he's retiring from MMA at the age of 33.

Cejudo attacked Cruz, a former bantamweight champion, with leg kicks early in the contest, which was likely part of the champ's game plan to limit Cruz's awkward movement. While Cruz did land some shots, Cejudo scored the more effective offense throughout the first nine minutes.

Late in the second round, Cejudo landed a flush knee that stumbled the challenger. Cejudo rushed Cruz with a load of ground-and-pound, and the referee stepped in after the titleholder landed several unanswered strikes to Cruz's head.

"I'm happy with my career," Cejudo said in his postfight interview. "Uncle Dana, I want to say thank you for everything. You're the man. ... Triple C's out."

Cejudo became the second fighter to defend belts in two different divisions after former heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier. He held the flyweight title from August 2018 to December 2019, defending it once against TJ Dillashaw. He moved up to 135 pounds last June and stopped Marlon Moraes for the vacant belt. This win over Cruz was Cejudo's first bantamweight title defense.

Cejudo's four-fight run against Demetrious Johnson (to win the 125-pound title), Dillashaw, Moraes, and now Cruz is arguably one of the best streaks in UFC history.

Cruz, who entered the title fight as arguably the best UFC bantamweight ever, returned to the Octagon for the first time in more than three years. He suffered his first loss via strikes to Cejudo and is now riding a two-fight skid.