Men, what would actually be going through your head in this situation? Would you regret it later?

Men, I need your honest perspective please !

I’ve been talking/flirting with a guy since June. We’re long-distance, but we were genuinely planning to meet and had become pretty emotionally involved.
At first, he told me he wanted to slowly build something with me and genuinely invest in it. He even turned down another girl because he told her he was already talking to someone (me)

Eventually, he told me he “didn’t have the energy for a relationship,” not specifically with me, but relationships in general. He said he has too many things going on and doesn’t want another person adding more problems to his life. He also said he genuinely intended to invest in what we had, but realized a relationship isn’t really his goal right now.
Yesterday, I initially reacted badly because I felt like I had to bring the subject up myself for him to finally tell me. I was emotional, told him I didn’t care and asked him to stop messaging me.

After I calmed down, I sent him a long but very direct message because I wanted answers. I made it clear that I still stood by my goodbye and wasn’t trying to change his mind or convince him to stay.
He explained his reasons. He told me he was disappointed by my initial reaction and that it didn’t really make him want to come toward me. I understood his reasons, thanked him for explaining, and told him I hoped my affection had at least made him feel good. He replied that it had meant “a lot” to him.
He also told me: “I don’t like it either, but if it ends now, there’ll be less suffering in the future. It’s the wiser decision long-term.”

After that, I wished him well and deleted him everywhere.
Men, what do you think was actually going through his head? Does this sound like a guy who genuinely wanted to walk away, or someone who still cared but convinced himself that leaving was the wiser choice?
And honestly, do you think he could regret the way he handled things once I’m completely gone, or would a guy in this situation usually just move on?