Payton Talbott will be former UFC champion Henry Cejudo’s final opponent this Saturday at UFC 323. Cejudo has said UFC 323 will be his final appearance inside the Octagon as he prepares to bring his decorated combat sports career to a dramatic conclusion.
Cejudo, who won UFC flyweight and bantamweight titles earlier in his career, is looking to secure one last memorable moment in the cage before dropping the gloves. He is looking for his first win since ending his multi-year retirement at UFC 288.
Months before Talbott and Cejudo were booked to fight each other, Cejudo briefly mentored Talbott and gave him excellent advice on how to preserve his life and career.
Payton Talbott reflects on the advice Henry Cejudo gave him before UFC 323
In a recent interview with MMA fightingTalbott shared his long-standing friendship with his soon-to-be rival.
“He gave me a lot of advice about changing my career and tried to guide me a bit because he was going to retire after that [the Merab Dvalishvili fight]Talbott said. “So we knew we weren’t going to fight each other, and here we are!
“He has given me a lot [advice]. Without getting too specific, how to structure your camp to mimic the competition, in terms of mindset and what the body can handle. How important it is to have safety outside of fighting; which I always knew, but his whole life was always based on long-term security, financial security. He seemed very, very adamant about it.
“It takes someone telling you that and seeing it for you to really know,” Talbott continued. “And now I’m in a position where he tried to do the right thing by me, and he was right!”
Cejudo’s most recent win came against Dominick Cruz at UFC 249. Meanwhile, Talbott is looking to continue his rise to stardom after defeating Felipe Lima at UFC 317.
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