Cejudo Criticizes O’Malley’s Title Reign
After UFC 306, Henry Cejudo called Sean O’Malley’s 2023 title win a “fluke,” per MMA Fighting. Cejudo later lost his final UFC bout in 2025.
Cejudo’s reaction
Speaking on the Pound 4 Pound podcast after UFC 306, Cejudo said he had predicted Dvalishvili would win and argued that O’Malley had struggled with the challenger’s wrestling over five rounds. He repeated his earlier view that Sterling had still been competitive before O’Malley stopped him at UFC 292 in August 2023. MMA Fighting reported Cejudo’s comments and his call for a matchup with O’Malley.
How UFC 306 ended
Dvalishvili won the bantamweight title by unanimous decision on September 14, 2024. The official scorecards read 49–46, 48–47 and 48–47. Cejudo’s criticism was commentary on the fight and O’Malley’s prior win, not a change to the official result.
Their history with Dvalishvili
Cejudo had faced Dvalishvili himself at UFC 298 earlier in 2024, losing by unanimous decision, 29–28 on all three scorecards. He said a groin injury had limited his preparation and argued that his own performance against Dvalishvili was stronger. That was Cejudo’s assessment; the UFC 298 judges awarded the bout to Dvalishvili, as the official scorecards show.
Cejudo’s later UFC run
After UFC 306, Cejudo lost a technical decision to Song Yadong in February 2025 when an accidental eye poke stopped their fight after three rounds. He later fought Payton Talbott at UFC 323 on December 6, 2025; Talbott won a unanimous decision in what the UFC identified as Cejudo’s final UFC appearance. The UFC Seattle results and UFC 323 scorecards record both outcomes.
