Former two-weight UFC champion Henry Cejudo has confirmed that he is ending his MMA retirement in preparation for a return to the sport.

After months of talk and speculation, Henry Cejudo is on the verge of bringing his two-year hiatus from competitive mixed martial arts to an end. The man known as ‘Triple C’ has discussed the possibility of a comeback at length ever since he first walked away from the game, and now, it seems as if the time has finally come for him to get back into the mix.

The decision comes just days after UFC 273 which saw Aljamain Sterling and Alexander Volkanovski both retain their titles at bantamweight and featherweight - two divisions Cejudo is interested in exploring.

A handful of tweets from the Olympian were soon followed by confirmation from ESPN that his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, had announced his client’s intention to jump back into the USADA testing pool.

In preparation for the six-month testing phase, Cejudo spoke to The Schmo about what prompted his decision.

“I had a talk with Ali and I’m serious about entering back in the USADA pool. Alexander the Average, he’s pummelling through people and talking about how there are no competitors - well you got the Triple C here. Then you’ve got the CEO of EPO TJ Dillashaw. If he comes back and beats Aljalame Sterling, then I think there’s a beautiful storyline. Don’t count Triple C out.”

“I think either option is good, man. I can see myself beating both of those dudes, whether I go up and then come down or go down at 135 and then come up.”

When did Cejudo last compete?

Before becoming a media personality and a head coach at Fight Ready, Henry Cejudo was a UFC champion at both flyweight and bantamweight. At UFC 249 in May 2020, he defended the latter of those two titles against former king Dominick Cruz.

A late TKO in the second round cemented Cejudo’s legacy and immediately after his triumph, he walked away from the UFC and vacated the belt in the process.

Alas, he still feels like he’s got work left to do.