TLDR
- Henry Cejudo lost to Payton Talbott by unanimous decision at UFC 323 in his retirement fight
- Cejudo ends his career with four straight losses after returning from a three-year retirement in 2023
- The 38-year-old absorbed 156 strikes and suffered a cut and swelling but praised Talbott after the fight
- Cejudo retires as a former two-division UFC champion who held both bantamweight and flyweight titles
- Talbott is expected to enter the bantamweight rankings after defeating the #10-ranked Cejudo
Henry Cejudo stepped into the octagon for the final time at UFC 323 on Saturday night. The 38-year-old former two-division champion lost a unanimous decision to rising star Payton Talbott in his retirement fight.
Cejudo announced before the event that UFC 323 would be his last fight. He absorbed 156 strikes across three rounds and suffered a cut under his eye along with swelling from the damage.
The loss marked Cejudo’s fourth straight defeat since returning from retirement. He came back to the UFC in 2023 after a three-year break and fought Aljamain Sterling for the bantamweight title at UFC 288.
Cejudo originally retired in 2020 after defending his bantamweight title against Dominick Cruz. That victory capped a six-fight win streak where he won and defended both the bantamweight and flyweight championships.
His return to fighting did not go as planned. After the loss to Sterling, Cejudo faced Song Yadong but lost via technical decision after eye pokes prevented him from continuing.
Cejudo wanted one more fight to end his career properly. He got his wish against Talbott at UFC 323.
Cejudo Praises Opponent After Final Fight
The former Olympic gold medalist showed respect to his opponent immediately after the fight. Cejudo called Talbott “the future” and said he wanted to keep mentoring him.
On social media the next day, Cejudo posted congratulations to Talbott. He wrote that Talbott would be a star in the sport.
Talbott’s UFC Journey
The 27-year-old Talbott earned his UFC contract through Dana White’s Contender Series. He stopped his first three UFC opponents before losing a decision to Raoni Barcelos at UFC 311.
That loss to Barcelos was Talbott’s first in his MMA career. Cejudo referenced this in a humorous social media post asking “just how good is Raoni Barcelos” after Talbott was able to take him down during their fight.
Talbott bounced back from the Barcelos loss with a win over Felipe Lima. The victory over Cejudo marks another step forward in his career.
Talbott held the #10 ranking in the bantamweight division heading into UFC 323. He is expected to move into the rankings this week after defeating Cejudo.
UFC CEO Dana White posted a photo of Cejudo receiving medical treatment backstage after the fight. The image showed Cejudo’s bruised and bloodied face with White calling it a “bad ass fight.”
Cejudo leaves the sport as one of the most accomplished fighters in UFC history. He won an Olympic gold medal in wrestling in 2008 before transitioning to MMA and capturing titles in two weight classes.
