UFC 323: Henry Cejudo happy to retire once again and not look back: 'I'm ready to move on'

Cejudo will fight for the final time against Payton Talbott at UFC 323

Henry Cejudo will retire at UFC 323. It's hard to read that statement without doubtful feelings. UFC retirements don't always stick. This isn't even Cejudo's first retirement from mixed martial arts. But when Cejudo speaks about stepping away from the sport, he does so with peace and conviction.

"I'm content and happy with my career," Cejudo told CBS Sports ahead of his showdown with Payton Talbott. "I'm ready to fight Saturday night, and I'm ready to f---ing move on, too."

Cejudo previously retired from the sport on top of the world. He became a simultaneous two-division UFC champion before calling it a career off a bantamweight title defense against fellow great Dominick Cruz. Some people speculated it was a public negotiation tactic, but nothing came of it, and Cejudo remained absent for three years.

The second half of his career did not bear the same fruit as his first run. In fact, it's the polar opposite. Cejudo is 0-3 since returning to competition in 2023. He first lost to Aljamain Sterling, the UFC bantamweight champion at the time, by split decision before falling to future champ Merab Dvalishvili and Song Yadong. Cejudo was competitive in each of those fights, particularly against Sterling, but the fact remains he hasn't won a fight in five years.

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"I don't like it, but it is what it is. I'm able to move on..." Cejudo said. "Even if I lost one hundred bouts consecutively, what I've been able to accomplish and how I did it is special to me. That's between me and myself. I beat three Hall of Famers to win and conquer belts. I beat three out of the four greats."

That winning stretch Cejudo referred to was wins over Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson, often considered one of the best fighters all time, and former bantamweight champs T.J. Dillashaw and Cruz. It's a meteoric run that stands the test of time, and won't be tarnished by what came after. Cejudo argues that, among the 11 champ-champs in the UFC, he fought the most elite competition to achieve that distinction. 

Cejudo makes his final walk against Talbott, an exciting young prospect. It's the first time in 10 years that he's fighting an unranked opponent. Talbott is highly touted as a potential contender, but it's still a significant demotion for the future Hall of Famer. What's more, the Olympic champion wrestler is a two-to-one underdog. The betting lines think Cejudo is running on empty, but Talbott is keenly aware of who stands in front of him.

"I think we are going to see a really good version of him, and I think we are going to see a glimpse of his younger self that night," Talbott told CBS Sports' Brian Campbell. "I'm sure he's going to step into the cage as the best version of himself, as will I."

Cejudo will enter the cage content. His second stint with the promotion didn't go his way, but nothing can take away what he's accomplished. He's "Triple C" -- the Olympic and two-time UFC champion. He has enough gold to cover his 5-foot-4 frame from head to toe, and a run that saw him become, for a time, the best fighter in the sport. Beating Talbott on Saturday is the cherry on top, but it doesn't do much to affect Cejudo's legacy.

"I feel more grateful now than anything. It's more of a thank you, knowing how much my training partners and coaches sacrificed for me," Cejudo said. "Typically, when you fight, it's tunnel vision. Knowing it's my last fight, I'm very grateful. It's been an emotional couple of weeks. 

"One of my coaches, Santino DeFranco, is also saying goodbye to the sport. He's been with me since we started winning... You forget how much time people give away from their families to be with you. That's f---ng special to me."