Dana White draws critical conclusion about Henry Cejudo's UFC 323 retirement

"Payton is the future, man," Cejudo said. "I was saying to him after the fight, 'Come over and let's keep training.' I want to keep mentoring him. But f---, this is the end [for me]."

UFC CEO Dana White quickly reacted to Cejudo's retirement in a now-viral video showing the pair interacting with one another before the judges rendered a decision.

"It's time. That just showed it," Cejudo said. "That just showed it."

White gave Cejudo his flowers.

"You showed a ton of heart," White said.

Dana White Reacts To Henry Cejudo's Retirement

Later on, though, White reflected upon Cejudo's career and revealed the one mistake Cejudo made: early retirement.

"So, you know, I was really unhappy when he retired," White said. "I thought it was a really bad idea. He was in the prime of his career. And, you know, he and I talked about that tonight backstage. The guy's had, not just a hell of a fight career, but just a hell of an athletic career. He's married. They're building a house. It's all good s***."

Ultimately, though, White appeared expectedly disappointed, given his feelings about Cejudo previously.

Cejudo had been in the UFC (even with his extended absence) since 2014. He won the title off a split decision against Demetrious Johnson in 2018 before Johnson was traded to ONE Championship in favor of Ben Askren. Cejudo's run of dominance not only included Johnson, but also wins against T.J. Dillashaw, Dominick Cruz, and Marlon Moraes.

Henry Cejudo's Career Is Unprecedented

Cejudo finished his MMA career 16-6 (10-5 UFC) after an impressive Olympic run as a freestyle wrestler. He has since transformed himself into a social media brand, which includes his own podcast among other non-fighting ventures.

With his career coming to a close, it's a matter of time before Cejudo earns his place in the UFC Hall of Fame. When he will is a different story, but his résumé speaks for himself, which would make him a worthy addition into an extremely rare club.

For now, though, he leaves the promotion as one of the best lighter-weight fighters ever, and a pioneer in the sport.