Henry Cejudo has endorsed Payton Talbott before the bantamweight's UFC 332 bout against Deiveson Figueiredo in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The former UFC champion shared his assessment during a recent podcast appearance, pointing to Talbott's speed, power, and striking advantages.
Cejudo, who previously lost to Talbott inside the Octagon, said the younger fighter should keep the fight on his feet.
"Deiveson is going to have to use his kicks, and then kick and wrestle," Cejudo said.
"Obviously for Payton, Payton is just going to have to be him: keep it on his feet.
He's got the longer length, and he can go both right hand and left hand."
Cejudo called Talbott the favorite in the matchup, citing his youth, sharper hands, length, and distance recognition.
"I'm excited to see Payton fight to see how much better he's gotten since me and him fought," he said.
He added that if Talbott has learned to fight backwards, use feints more, and move laterally, he believes Talbott is top five in the world.
Cejudo Maps Out Possible Next Fights
Cejudo also outlined potential opponents for Talbott if he beats Figueiredo.
"He needs to fight (Marlon) 'Chito' Vera next with a victory over Deiveson," Cejudo said.
He claimed Sean O'Malley denied that fight and said Talbott would beat him.
Cejudo named Cory Sandhagen as another good matchup and said Talbott beats Aiemann Zahabi and everybody, in his opinion.
"I won't even mind at this point, depending on how he looks with Deiveson: Give him Cory Sandhagen," he said.
The 14-bout card at the Delta Center also features middleweight prospect Ateba Gautier against Roman Kopylov.
Heavyweight prospect New York Jets linebacker Wint is set to take on Lucas Armand.
A women's flyweight five-round contest between Natalia Silva and Cong Wang is also on the card.
