Henry Cejudo finds himself in unfamiliar territory after drawing an unranked UFC bantamweight.
Former two-division champion Cejudo (16-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) meets Payton Talbott (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) at UFC 323 on Dec. 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Since returning from retirement in 2023, Cejudo has lost three fights in a row. He understands the UFC’s intentions when giving him Talbott, but he’s not bothered by it.
“The old generation vs. the new,” Cejudo said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Kamaru Usman. “I’m fighting somebody that I guess you could say that I know, somebody that’s come out to learn from me. I’m fighting Payton Talbott. It’s definitely a contrast of bodies and styles. Payton is a zombie. He’ll come at you. He’s based on pressure. I’m fighting a new-school guy.
“I’m fighting the guy that the UFC wants to push. This is a good fight. I think Payton is a really, really good fighter. I said this in the beginning. He did lose to (Raoni) Barcelos, but he did come back that next fight. He was able to get that ‘W.’ He looked really, really good. He’s a dangerous cat. We all know he’s dangerous, but there’s a lot of things – experience, tactics … that changes everything.”
Cejudo wasn’t ready to fully commit to the retirement word when addressing his fight with Talbott.
“This is pretty much my last fight – Unless I change my mind again,” Cejudo said. “I’m training hard. You want to leave with a bang. You want to leave with a ‘W.’ You want to leave in the fashion that people remember you in. Payton’s tough, dude. I can see why the UFC did this. I personally like it. I really do. I like the fact that they’re going to put a young buck who’s not even ranked, but is already one of the top-level guys in the world.”
