Sean O?Malley competes in the UFC Bantamweight Division, which currently has no champion, and O?Malley has a theory as to why Cejudo retired.
?I think I have the reason that he retired. I don?t know that for sure, but that?s just what I heard,? O?Malley said to Brett Okamoto of ESPN (via Adam Martin of BJPenn.com). ?I feel like I?m a bad matchup for anyone in the division. I?m almost six-feet tall and I?m pretty skinny but I?m long. I was probably 150-something in the cage. I?m fast, I?m strong, I?m high-level everywhere. I don?t know if I?m disappointed that he retired. I don?t know if I?m on top, in my peak, I don?t know if I could retire. I almost feel like I?d rather lose than just retire then say, ?I?m in the best in the world, I?m done.? I don?t know, who knows. I think he?ll be back. I think he just found his first girlfriend and he?s just kind of, he doesn?t know what to do. Because if you?ve never had a girlfriend before and then you have one and you?re like 30-something, I don?t know, they like, take over.?
Cejudo hasn?t stated publicly why he retired, but there has been speculation that financial matters played a role in that retirement. The former two division champion has been staying active since retiring, appearing on an episode of AEW Dynamite while also hinting at a professional boxing debut.