UFC 323 is shaping up to be a great bantamweight affair. The card’s most fascinating 135 lbs fight is one between former dual-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo and rapidly rising killer Payton Talbott. Their fight is at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, as part of Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan 2 undercard, and it’s a perfect mix of legacy vs. momentum.

Cejudo sees this fight as a decisive point in his career. After two consecutive defeats and a long journey of Olympic glory and UFC championships, he’s going into the Octagon with the intention of proving something—not only to the division but also to himself. It’s an opportunity to put a stop to the downfall and to demonstrate that he is still a real threat in the already stacked bantamweight division. Talbott’s situation, on the other hand, is completely opposite. He is the fast-moving newcomer with good reach, strong punches, and public attention. Winning against Cejudo would be an instant ticket to the division’s elite and a confirmation of the excitement around his striking-heavy style.

Henry Cejudo and Payton Talbott stats comparison

Henry Cejudo comes into this fight with an overall record of 16-5 (10-5 in the UFC). The 38-year-old ex-champion of two divisions goes up against a more than ten years younger fighter in front of him. Cejudo’s height is 5’4” (163 cm), and his reach is 64” (163 cm), although some sources claim it to be 67.5”. He usually walks around at about 150-155 lbs and cuts down to 135 lbs—the maximum weight for the division—among others with his Olympic-level discipline. Despite his recent downfall, he is still one of the finest athletes of the division ever.

Payton Talbott arrives with a perfect record of 10-1 as a pro. The 27-year-old fighter has an enormous youth advantage and also has a better physique. Talbott’s height is 5’10” (178 cm) and his reach is 70.5” (179 cm) which gives him a difference of almost half a foot in height and a significant advantage in reach. His walk-around weight is approximately 150-158 lbs, which is similar to Cejudo’s, although his frame holds the weight differently because of his lankier build. Currently, Talbott is one step behind the top 15 but is considered to be one of the fastest-growing talents of the division.

The experience is all on Cejudo’s side, an Olympic gold medalist who captured the titles in both the flyweight and the bantamweight divisions. But his recent performances indicate that the wear and tear might be taking over. He has lost three out of the last four and has not finished any of his fights since the year 2019. On the other hand, Talbott is on the rise: he has had seven knockouts among his ten wins and has stopped four of his last five opponents. With youth, height, and momentum working for him, Talbott seems ready to put Cejudo’s ability to cope with the pace of the next generation to the test.

Henry Cejudo and Payton Talbott stylistic comparison

This fight is like the confrontation between two generations of bantamweights. Cejudo symbolizes the skilled fighter of the championship era, and Talbott the new breed: tall, long, and built to beat opponents with speed and accuracy. Talbott’s style is mainly based on explosive striking, sharp angles, and ceaseless forward motion.

His capacity to apply pressure right off the bat, along with real knockout power at 135, makes him a threat the instant the event starts. If we were to imagine the Cejudo of 2018-2020, the fight would be vastly different. That Cejudo excelled against aggressive strikers; he would break their rhythm by downgrading them with perfectly timed level changes, sharp counterpunches, and suffocating clinch control.

He took fighters who went straight forward apart and showed their weaknesses in footwork or defensive reactions. But the Cejudo today is not the same athlete. He has lost some of the explosiveness and endurance that made him elite due to age, layoffs, and recent defeats.

However, Talbott still confronts an actual tactical enigma. Cejudo’s wrestling IQ is still of a world-class level, and his ability to time entries has never been based solely on speed. If he can withstand the early striking storm and induce Talbott into scrambles or prolonged clinch exchanges, the whole aspect changes.

Talbott has yet to showcase himself against an opponent of Cejudo’s vast experience, and his defensive grappling has not been completely stress-tested by a pressure wrestler of this rank. In case the bout gets into the later rounds, Cejudo’s stamina and mental fortitude could turn the tide in his favor, especially if Talbott starts to slow down. Still, the risk for Cejudo is always there. In each round, Talbott will just need one clean punch, one long-step counter, and one explosion of energy to score

Final prediction for UFC 323

To begin with, Payton Talbott presents himself as the typical young attacker: tall, threatening, and full of self-assurance. However, there is also the part of his case being momentum, athletic prime, and the kind of never-ending pace that can even frighten the most experienced veterans. Talbott will most probably use his reach, precision, and early-fight explosiveness to push Cejudo into wild striking exchanges right from the start.

On the other hand, if the fight goes on and deeper rounds, the advantage starts to revert to Henry Cejudo. His wrestling background, fight IQ, and ability to change strategy mid-way are the things giving him the most areas to control the pace, get into the fight with Talbott, and so on.

If the fight is dragged into a more technical and cautious nature, it would be Cejudo who benefits from that, especially if he gets to steal control time or disrupt Talbott’s rhythm with perfectly timed takedowns.

Nonetheless, the fight is definitely evenly matched. Cejudo’s toughness and experience might not let him out of the competition, but, at the same time, Talbott’s reach, youth, and striking volume will certainly be the winning factors in the course of three rounds. He may not put Cejudo away, but he has the arsenal that can make the exchanges his and inflict the cleaner damage. Ultimately, it is Talbott who, by a narrow margin, looks to be the winner in Las Vegas.