Henry Cejudo may have fought for the final time inside an MMA cage last month during UFC 323 inside Enterprise, NV’s T-Mobile Arena, but that hasn’t stopped him from staying plugged into the sport. Like many fans and fighters the world over, he was watching and paying attention to UFC 324 last Saturday night in Las Vegas.
If, by chance, you were one of those people that missed the opening show of the 2026 UFC schedule of events, the main event of the evening for UFC 324 saw the UFC Interim Lightweight Championship at stake between No. 4 contender Justin Gaethje (27-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) and No. 5 contender Paddy Pimblett (23-4 MMA, 7-1 UFC.)
In a 25-minute test of wills for both fighters, “The Highlight” gave “The Baddy” his first defeat since joining the UFC’s active roster in late 2021. This prompted Henry Cejudo to take to the microphone on Monday.
Cejudo serves as the co-host of the Pound 4 Pound podcast with fellow UFC legend Kamaru Usman. Monday’s episode began with Henry Cejudo giving the UFC credit for placing the now-interim lightweight champion on the event.
“Any time you put Justin Gaethje on the card, on any (expletive deleted) card, is the best thing that the UFC could actually do,” Cejudo said to Usman and the audience. “The fights delivered!”
From there, Cejudo gave plaudit for Justin Gaethje’s work ethic.
“For those who have never been in wars, what Justin is going through, he’s legit jeopardizing his (expletive deleted) livelihood for entertainment,” he continued. “Okay, they upped [the bonuses] another [$50,000.] Good. For Justin, that should be multiplied times 10. There should be a million-dollar payday for him on top of what he’s doing.”
Henry Cejudo Dishes Out More Plaudit for Interim Champion
Henry Cejudo’s praise was far from over. He also mentioned why UFC fans should be thankful that Justin Gaethje is on the promotion’s active roster.
“One, he delivers,” Cejudo continued. “One, he markets. One, he’s grateful. I’m going to say it: He’s real. Justin’s the only dude who could complain about fighter pay.”
Ahead of UFC 324 on Saturday, UFC CEO Dana White announced that post-fight bonuses for winners would be doubled from $50,000 [USD] to $100,000 [USD.] In addition, fighters who won their contests inside the distance could receive a $25,000 cash advance.
“I guess everybody can [complain about pay,] but it’s really Justin that– man, it means more,” Cejudo said. “Even the fact that Dana had to answer this during these fight week questions, I could tell like it was uncomfortable for him, too. Rightfully so, man, he delivered.”
Cejudo Believes Justin Gaethje Has Turned in Brilliant Career Up to Now
Later during the podcast’s “Questions From a Casual” segment, a question was posed of which fighter between Justin Gaethje and UFC retiree Dustin Poirier had the better run inside the fabled Octagon. Usman passed on answering the question, but Cejudo’s response was simple.
“For sure, it is Justin. It is Justin,” Henry Cejudo replied. “What he’s been able to do, what he’s been able to give to the fans, Poirier has lost to people that you’re like ‘oh, he beat Poirier?’ Gaethje has taken [losses,] but they’ve always been to people that you’re like ‘God.’ It’s never been like a flash knockout or a knockout or anything of that nature. He’s always given everything that he’s had, and the only time that he’s really been put to sleep was against [Max] Holloway.”
“He comes and he delivers, bro,” he continued. “There’s never a boring or a dull moment in his fights. That is hall of fame-worthy.”
Final Thoughts
The comments made by Henry Cejudo on Pound 4 Pound in the latest episode are no doubt high praise for Justin Gaethje. It’s praise that’s very much earned in the wake of last Saturday night’s action at UFC 324.
When you have a certain UFC Hall of Famer using his podcast platform to give a hearty round of applause to a newly-minted champion, interim or permanent, that’s something to take note of 100 percent of the time. Given that Justin Gaethje stepped up to the plate and denied Paddy Pimblett the interim title on Saturday, his performance may very well be a stepping stone to an eventual spot in the UFC Hall of Fame.
Justin Gaethje took a step in the right direction with his victory over Pimblett in Las Vegas. Now, it’s up to Gaethje to prove Henry Cejudo right the next time that “The Highlight” makes the walk to the cage.
