Payton Talbott was stunned when he heard that Henry Cejudo had his back in the immediate aftermath of their fight last Saturday.
Talbott (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) picked up the biggest win of his career when he outclassed the former 2-weight UFC champion Cejudo (16-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC) at UFC 323. The defeat marked the end of “Triple C’s” illustrious career, and the former freestyle wrestling Olympic gold medalist took a moment at the end of the fight to speak to UFC President Dana White.
Cejudo urged White to take care of Talbott going forward, a gesture that tugged on the heartstrings of the exciting 27-year-old prospect.
“Yeah, I saw that on social media after,” Talbott told Ariel Helwani on Monday. “That actually meant a lot to me and almost made me kind of tear up, man. I don't really cry too often. Honestly, to think of somebody other than yourself in that moment is pretty huge.
“You know, Henry gets all kinds of flack, but at his core, man, he's a very generous guy and he's just a solid dude, man. He had to be the villain for whatever reason, you know, to save (his career), sports entertainment and whatever he had within himself. But I know that guy and he's a really good human.”
The pair had shared some tongue-in-cheek banter in the lead up to UFC 323, with Talbott telling reporters at the pre-fight media day that “Everybody loved Old Yeller. But all good dogs have to be put down the same.”
Asked whether he felt bad about those comments now that the fight is in the rearview mirror, Talbott doubled down.
“No, bro,” he responded to Helwani with a smile. “I'm going to be old yeller one day too. Somebody's going to put my ass down, so that's just how it goes.”
