Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

UFC legend Henry Cejudo offers hilarious shoutout after losing retirement fight

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Drew Beaupre | Last updated Dec 8, 2025 9:57 AM ET

Former UFC double-champ Henry Cejudo shouted out an underrated UFC veteran following his final fight against Payton Talbott at UFC 323.

The UFC’s final PPV offering of the ESPN era was a star-studded affair, as the main card for UFC 323 featured two title fights at the top of the bill and three former champions competing in the other three bouts on the PPV portion of the event.

It ended up being a tough night for every former (or defending) champion not-named Petr Yan, and future UFC Hall of Famer Cejudo officially confirmed his retirement after dropping a unanimous decision to rising star Talbott in one of the night’s most highly-anticipated matchups.

Henry Cejudo Shouts Out Raoni Barcelos After Retirement Fight

Cejudo revealed ahead of UFC 323 that Saturday would be his final walk to the Octagon, and the day after the event the Olympic gold medalist showed a bit of humor around his loss when he shouted out perennial UFC bantamweight contender Raoni Barcelos.

Just how good is Raoni Barcelos #UFC323
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) December 7, 2025

“Just how good is Raoni Barcelos”

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Fans were shocked when Talbott was able to bring Cejudo to the mat at UFC 323, especially after the 27-year-old was largely out grappled by the less-heralded Barcelos at UFC 311 for the very first loss of his MMA career.

“Triple C” closes out his own fighting career with four-straight losses, the first of which came in a bantamweight title bid against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288 after Cejudo ended his three-year retirement.

Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

The decision to temporarily walk away from the UFC came after the 38-year-old defended the bantamweight belt against Dominick Cruz in 2020, which capped off a six-fight win streak that saw the former Olympian win and defend both the bantamweight and flyweight belts.

What's Next For Payton Talbott After UFC 323?

Cejudo left it all in the cage at UFC 323, and he made sure to give praise to his opponent Talbott immediately after the event as well as on social media the morning after their fight.

Congrats to Payton on a great performance. You will be a star in this sport. I know that calf hurts #UFC323 @PaytonTalbott
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) December 7, 2025

“Congrats to Payton on a great performance. You will be a star in this sport. I know that calf hurts”

One of the increasingly-rare fighters to earn a UFC contract after winning by decision on Dana White’s Contender Series , Talbott stopped the first three opponents he faced in the UFC but dropped a decision to Barcelos last January.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The 27-year-old rebounded with a win over Felipe Lima before scoring a huge win over Cejudo last weekend, and Talbott will presumably find himself in the bantamweight rankings at some point this week given that “Triple C” occupied the division’s #10 spot heading into UFC 323.

This article first appeared on MMA on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: