Henry Cejudo moved quickly to show respect to Payton Talbott after their fight on Saturday, leaving the young fighter holding back tears.
Talbott had just put in a dominant performance at UFC 323, taking a unanimous decision over three rounds. For Cejudo, it was his final appearance inside the Octagon, but before he bowed out, he made sure to approach Dana White and ask him to ‘take care’ of the 27-year-old.
The Nevada native is seen as one of the top prospects in the bantamweight division. He bounced back from his first professional loss in January at UFC 311 by beating Felipe Lima, and then followed that up with what many are calling a career-best display against Cejudo.
Payton Talbott gets emotional over Henry Cejudo’s message to Dana White
Even after a comfortable win, Talbott did not mind letting the spotlight stay on Cejudo, who was announcing his retirement.
‘Triple C’ got a tribute video and even an unofficial $50,000 bonus from White, but it was his message about the 27-year-old that stood out.
Speaking later on Ariel Helwani’s show Uncrowned, Talbott said how much the moment meant to him. “I saw that on social media after the fight.
“That actually meant a lot to me and almost made me kind of tear up, man. I don’t really be crying too often but that was [surprising]. To think of somebody other than yourself in that moment is pretty huge. Henry gets all kinds of flak, but at his core, man, he is a very generous guy, and a solid dude, man.
“He had to be the villain for whatever reason because it was like sports entertainment or whatever he had within him and stuff. But I know that guy and he’s a really good human.” However, he refused to apologize for referring to the aging former champion as ‘Old Yeller’ pre-fight.”
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