The Final Bell: Henry Cejudo Bows Out After Heartbreaking Loss at UFC 323
Henry Cejudo retires from MMA for second time
In the unforgiving glare of the T-Mobile Arena octagon, Henry “Triple C” Cejudo’s storied MMA journey reached its poignant end. The 38-year-old Olympic gold medalist and former two-division UFC champion fell to a unanimous decision defeat against rising bantamweight sensation Payton Talbott at UFC 323, capping a night of raw emotion and unyielding grit. All three judges scored the three-round bout 30-27 for Talbott, marking Cejudo’s fourth straight loss and prompting his immediate retirement from the sport.
Cejudo entered the cage with a heavy heart and a clear resolve, having declared in the pre-fight media scrum that this would be his last dance.
“This is it for me, guys,” he said, vowing to leave everything on the canvas regardless of the outcome. True to his word, Cejudo traded fire with the 27-year-old Talbott, a 11-1 prospect known for his blistering striking and high-volume output.
Cejudo, leveraging his elite wrestling pedigree, pressed forward with takedown attempts and flashes of the championship tenacity that once toppled legends. But Father Time proved an insurmountable foe; Talbott outlanded him 156-77 in significant strikes, including a knockdown in the second round that opened a nasty cut under Cejudo’s right eye.
The fight’s emotional crescendo came in the final seconds, evoking Max Holloway’s iconic point-down gesture. Talbott mimicked it, inviting one last exchange, and Cejudo obliged with a flurry of wild punches until the bell. Post-fight, a bloodied but unbroken Cejudo hugged his conqueror, whispering words of mentorship: “Payton is the future, man… I want to keep mentoring him. But f—, this is the end [for me].”
UFC President Dana White, moved by the display, awarded Cejudo a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus on the spot—despite the lopsided scorecards—fulfilling the veteran’s final, heartfelt request.
Cejudo’s retirement marks the second time he’s hung up the gloves, following a 2020 exit as the reigning bantamweight king. His 2023 comeback yielded an 0-4 skid against the division’s elite—Aljamain Sterling, Merab Dvalishvili, Song Yadong, and now Talbott—underscoring the physical toll of a career that blended freestyle wrestling dominance with MMA mastery.
Yet, his ledger gleams: a 16-6 record, flyweight gold snatched from Demetrious Johnson’s iron grip in 2018, a lightning-quick KO of T.J. Dillashaw, and a historic two-belt reign after submitting Marlon Moraes just 32 seconds into their clash. Cejudo remains the only fighter to pair UFC titles with an Olympic medal, a feat that cements his Hall of Fame destiny.
As the crowd rose in a thunderous ovation during his tearful post-fight speech, Cejudo reflected on the ride. “I promised I would leave it all in the cage and I did. You’re welcome. Grateful for you all,” he posted on X afterward. His longtime coach, Santino Defranco, also announced his MMA coaching retirement, closing a chapter on one of combat sports’ most symbiotic partnerships.
For Talbott, the victory catapults him toward bantamweight contention, his knee strikes and resilience silencing doubters about facing former champs. But Saturday belonged to Cejudo—a warrior who conquered worlds, only to gracefully yield the throne. MMA bids farewell to a triple crown: wrestler, champion, icon. The octagon feels a little emptier, but his legacy burns eternal.
