Henry Cejudo thinks father time is catching as much as him and Michael Chandler.
The previous two-division UFC Champion finds himself in the identical boat as Michael Chandler. Each fighters are 38 years old, on a three-fight losing streak with two of those losses coming to former champions and still hold down a spot within the top-10 of their respective divisions.
Chandler suffered his third-straight loss within the co-main event of UFC 314 on Saturday by the hands of Paddy Pimblett.
The #12-ranked Pimblett absolutely wiped the ground with Chandler, bloodying the previous Bellator champion for a TKO stoppage in round 3.
Chandler hasn’t looked worse within the UFC with Michael Bisping calling the performance at UFC 314 a ‘career-killer’. Josh Thomson claimed Chandler was ‘done’ and ‘washed’ for losing to Pimblett.
Henry Cejudo tells Michael Chandler to think about retirement
Henry Cejudo’s heard similar criticism late into his profession, wanting another fight for himself before he retires from MMA, hoping to avoid any serious injuries just like the eye damage he received from his recent loss with Song Yadong.
As for what Chandler should do, Cejudo would love to see him follow an analogous path.
In any case, the fan-favorite has been apart of so many wars from Bellator to UFC.
“I’m 0-3. So I get it, Chandler,” Cejudo told MMA Junkie.
“He probably has to get another and just consider retirement,” Cejudo said.
“That’s a number of beatings, man.”
Henry Cejudo says Michael Chandler ‘might have been the very best’
Michael Chandler entered the UFC later than most, a number of months before his thirty fifth birthday. Chandler was a three-time champion in Bellator and nearly won the UFC title in only his second UFC fight against Charles Oliveira before losing by comeback TKO.
Chandler’s also put up great fights against Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje however the American would fall just in need of the finish line every time.
“I feel Chandler might have been the very best on the earth,” Cejudo said of Chandler’s potential.
“He’s an excessive amount of of a crowd pleaser and that has really bit him within the ass.
Currently 0-3, Cejudo wonders how long the UFC would keep Michael Chandler around if he keeps losing.
“Mike Perry was a crowd pleaser too,” Cejudo said of Mike Perry, who left the UFC in 2021 after a slew of fun fights.
“There’s only a certain time before the UFC just says, ‘Hey man, thanks for pleasing us, but we gotta we gotta move on…’
“I feel like Chandler, they’re probably gonna at this point, possibly the UFC might give him a younger guy, and that’s typically what happens on this game,” Cejudo said.
