Henry Cejudo: UFC 303's Payton Talbott 'a threat for any of us in the top 10'

Henry Cejudo has high praise for undefeated UFC bantamweight Payton Talbott.

Talbott (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) meets Yanis Ghemmouri (12-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) on Saturday’s UFC 303 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) prelims at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. When highlighting the UFC 303 prelims, former dual champion Cejudo said he’s looking forward to watching Talbott, a Dana White’s Contender Series alum, the most.

“I’m gonna have to go with Payton Talbott, man,” Cejudo said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Kamaru Usman. “He’s 5-foot-10, he’s undefeated, he’s a wreck, man. He’s mentally a strong kid, he’s been finishing people in the UFC. He’s come out to (Arizona), worked with me for a few days. The dude’s got crazy talent. He’s a prospect.

“He’s definitely like a high-profile prospect that’s kind of going under the radar, man. Really good striking, has takedowns, has submissions. We’re talking about a guy who’s well rounded, yet he is still growing, and I think there’s a reason why the UFC is putting him on this card.”

Talbott put on a clinic when he was matched up against fellow unbeaten prospect Cameron Saaiman at UFC on ESPN 53 in March, finishing him by Round 2 TKO. His dominant performance led oddsmakers to peg him as a whopping -1600 favorite over Ghemmouri.

Cejudo thinks the hype is warranted.

“That being said, this guy is a threat for any of us in the top 10,” Cejudo said. “I mean, that dude going to come up, and the dude’s going to make a statement.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.