Henry Cejudo to debut against Wanna Walton after opponent withdraws

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Henry Cejudo at UFC 323 | Ian Maule, Getty Images Henry Cejudo has a new opponent for his boxing debut. Misfits Boxing announced Tuesday that Cejudo is now set to fight Most Valuable Promotions boxer Wanna Walton at its upcoming Sept. 26 event in Miami, following the withdrawal of Cejudo’s originally scheduled opponent Deen The Great. According to the press release, Deen The Great has been forced out due to injury. Walton, 20, is an actor known for his roles on hit shows such as Euphoria and The Umbrella Academy, but he’s already making a name for himself under the MVP banner. He made his debut with a first-round knockout of Moises Guzman Almonte, and is currently 3-0-1 competing for the Jake Paul-led promotion. The move represents a significant business collaboration between Misfits and MVP, with MVP executive Nakisa Bidarian saying in the release, “Misfits offered us a significant financial guarantee for Wanna to step in on short notice against Henry Cejudo, an Olympic gold medallist and two-division UFC champion. It’s a tremendous opportunity for Wanna to show the world why you don’t play boxing and I am confident he will shine bright as the star he is and defeat a UFC great.” The release also included a comment from Cejudo, who wasn’t surprised by the opponent change. “I knew all along that Dean The Bitch would back out, and so I am not surprised he has done,” Cejudo said. “But I have a new opponent now, who thinks he’s a fighter, but Wanna will be playing another robot by the time I’m done with him.” Cejudo is one of the most decorated athletes in combat sports history. The 39-year-old won Olympic gold in freestyle wrestling at the 2008 Beijing games, and later transitioned to MMA where he became a UFC champion at 135 and 125 pounds. After retiring in 2020, he attempted a comeback three years later, but failed to return to the win column in four tries and again retired from fighting in 2025. Recently, Cejudo has partnered up with RAF to return to the mats, beating fellow UFC legend Urijah Faber in his debut, and then splitting a series with past UFC opponent Merab Dvalishvili. After Dvalishvili scored a comeback win against Cejudo at RAF Georgia, Cejudo got his revenge this past August, defeating Dvalishvili via pinfall in just 36 seconds.

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Henry Cejudo makes his boxing debut on Sept. 26