It appears former two-division champion Henry Cejudo is not yet finished with MMA, having scheduled a surprising return to the Octagon by year-end.
For the first time in his career, the former dual-weight title holder is on a three-fight losing streak and has been sidelined since his controversial loss to Song Yadong earlier this year. This defeat followed a title eliminator bout against current bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili and a prior loss to former champion Aljamain Sterling.
Marking his bantamweight comeback, Cejudo is set to face a fighter who emerged from the Contender Series, his first unranked opponent in years.
Cejudo to Face Payton Talbott at UFC 323
Scheduled for the undercard of UFC 323, the year`s final pay-per-view event, Olympic gold medalist Cejudo will take on the challenge of the ascending talent, Payton Talbott.
Talbott, who recently rebounded from his first career loss to veteran contender Raoni Barcelos at UFC 311 earlier this year, secured a decision victory against a tough Felipe Lima this summer.
Despite Talbott`s current unranked status, Cejudo`s unexpected return in December will see him put his #10 bantamweight contender ranking on the line.
In addition to Dvalishvili`s anticipated title rematch with Petr Yan, the flyweight championship will also be contested at the year-end UFC 323 card. Brazilian superstar Alexandre Pantoja is slated for the co-main event, facing the surging Joshua Van, fresh off his “Fight of the Year” contender against Brandon Royval.
Cejudo`s Contemplation of a Second Retirement
Initially retiring five years ago after his decisive victory over former champion Dominick Cruz, Cejudo later returned to face Aljamain Sterling.
However, after suffering a severe eye-poke against Yadong earlier this year, the Arizona native revealed that the nature of the injury had briefly prompted him to consider retiring for a second time.
