Former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo (16-6) left it all inside the octagon against Payton Talbott, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Leading up to the fight, the Los Angeles native had announced his second retirement from MMA. After he lost his fourth consecutive fight, it was clear that Cejudo’s best days were long behind him. In the opening round, a fierce and determined Talbott scored two takedowns early on.
Cejudo was also out landed significantly in total strikes, as he connected on 77 out of 136 (57%), compared to Talbott’s 156 out of 240 total (65%). He was also knocked down in the middle of an exchange in the second round. A cut under Cejudo’s right eye bled heavily by the end of the round.
All three judges scored the fight 30-27 in favor of Talbott, as he earned the unanimous decision victory. “Triple C’s”last win came more than five years ago, in a unanimous decision victory against Dominick Cruz at UFC 249, in May 2020. He retired for a brief period, before returning to competition in 2023.
Despite a second tenure in the UFC where he went 0-4 since then, Cejudo inarguably left behind an accomplished career. As he previously held the UFC title at flyweight, and bantamweight, Cejudo is one of 11 two-division champions in UFC history.
