While the UFC’s Fight Night event at Meta Apex captured most of the fans’ attention tonight, Henry Cejudo made history elsewhere. The former two-division champion successfully made his boxing debut against a movie star known for his role in the TV show Euphoria. But fans weren’t too thrilled by ‘Triple C’s successful foray into the ring. 

On September 26, 2026, Cejudo marked his first pro boxing bout against American boxer and actor Javon Walton, who famously plays the role of Ashtray in Euphoria, at Misfits’ latest event at James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida.

After Cejudo’s original opponent, Deen ‘The Great’, pulled out of the event due to a shoulder injury, Walton stepped in on two weeks’ short notice. Both headlined the card in a 147-lbs bout that ran 4 rounds of 3 minutes each, turning out to be decent action.

Right from the opening bell, Walton started swinging heavy punches that forced the former UFC champ to take a step back. The speed difference between them was also noticeable, with the 20-year-old getting the better of early exchanges. However, Cejudo slowly started to open up with his punches from the second round.

The former UFC two-division champion drew on his experience from clashing inside the Octagon, adopting a slightly wider stance that gave him confidence. Cejudo started landing far better with his right hand, especially the overhand right, and hurt his opponent multiple times.

The third round remained close, with both men having their moments, but Walton’s corner felt they were behind on the scorecards. Sensing that, the fourth round started far more aggressively than before. However, Cejudo continued to land the better shots, and the fight went to the judges’ scorecards, who declared ‘Triple C’ the winner by split decision.  

Right after the fight, Cejudo thanked the TV star for taking the fight on short notice and also stated that the TV star has a good future ahead of him. 

“Ah, dude, it felt good, man,” Cejudo told Fred Talks Fighting. “It was Boxing; it was different. It’s one of the toughest sports on planet Earth. It was cool to go up against somebody who had that much amateur experience and was 5-foot-9. I mean, the kid has a bright future. I know he took this fight on two weeks’ notice, but if they want to run it back, I think we should do it.” 

For those who may not know, Cejudo’s opponent for the event, Javon Anthony Walton, isn’t just an actor who dabbles in boxing on the side. He is trained by his father and boxing coach, DJ Walton, from a very young age. He began his amateur boxing career in 2015 and amassed a pretty impressive 20-9 record before turning pro in 2023.

After the recent loss, Walton’s pro-career record currently stands at 3-1-1. Given his amateur background and the start of his pro career, it looks like Cejudo defeated a pretty credible, young opponent on his debut.

However, fans weren’t really impressed by a fighter of his caliber beating someone from the entertainment industry.  

Fans roast Henry Cejudo after beating Euphoria star in professional boxing debut  

One fan quickly chimed in and wrote, “Henry Cejudo not beating the washed allegations 😭.” Following that, another user commented, “A split decision against an actor is crazy.”

The backlash against the former UFC two-division champion continued with another fan writing, “Triple wash Cejudo really robbed a split decision win against a c-list celebrity 😂💀💀💀💀💀”

Fans are understandably underwhelmed with Henry Cejudo’s performance against the TV star. Cejudo was a two-weight-division champion in the UFC and showed decent hands against fighters like Demetrious Johnson and Dominick Cruz. However, professional boxing is a different ball game, and ‘Triple C’ is primarily a freestyle grappler.

Keeping that in mind, Cejudo’s boxing debut looks a little more impressive than fans give it credit for. Plus, he’s 39 years old and well past his prime, and he just faced a young boxer who’s been training since a very early age. Even so, fans kept roasting the former UFC champ over his first-ever boxing performance.

A fan wrote, “A split decision against a literal actor is wild, but honestly Walton showed more grace in defeat than most pros do in victory.”  

Though Henry Cejudo is drawing backlash for his boxing debut, he’s not the only fighter to make his first pro boxing bout against a movie star. Before him, former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski made his boxing debut against Kelechi Dyke, who appeared on Netflix’s show Too Hot to Handle.

Following that reaction, a different fan feels Cejudo is now ready to face Jake Paul: “Triple C vs Jake Paul 2027.”

Cejudo being 39 and fresh off a boxing debut makes him a fitting candidate to face Paul, who tends to clash with fighters past their prime. He also once angled for a fight with Gervonta Davis, who was considerably smaller than him. So ‘The Problem Child’ might be open to a clash with ‘Triple C’ if it gains enough traction.

Another fan interestingly commented, “Why is he celebrating like he just became UFC champ again.”

Henry Cejudo is one of those fighters who initially retired at the top. In fact, ‘Triple C’ had two gold belts wrapped around his waist in 2020, a feat not many have had the fortune of achieving. But when he finally returned to the UFC in 2023, he went winless until retiring once again in December 2025 after losing to Payton Talbott at UFC 323.

Cejudo did manage to snap his overall losing streak at a grappling event, but boxing comes far closer to what an MMA fight offers in terms of pure striking. That’s probably why the Californian celebrated his heart out, knowing he can still inflict damage with his hands.

That said, beyond the backlash, Henry Cejudo may well have found a new home for his career. Who knows? He might run it back against Walton or face a new opponent in Misfits.