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UFC veteran Henry Cejudo firmly believes that former foe Payton Talbott has a big future ahead of him in the promotion.

Tonight, Payton Talbott has the opportunity to really put himself in the championship picture. He will go head to head with former flyweight king Deiveson Figueiredo, and if he can put on a show-stopping performance, his stock will rise massively.

RELATED: Payton Talbott reveals why rumored Sean O’Malley fight at White House didn’t happen

Payton Talbott, of course, has already picked up a few notable wins in his UFC run to date, with one of the biggest being a strong outing against another former champion, Henry Cejudo.

In a recent podcast, Cejudo had the following to say about Payton Talbott and what the future holds for him.

Henry Cejudo’s view on Payton Talbott

“Deiveson is going to have to use his kicks, and then kick and wrestle. 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. I think the favorite in this matchup is Payton. He’s the younger fighter, he’s the more sharper fighter with his hands. He’s got the length and then the distance recognition. I’m excited to see Payton fight to see how much better he’s gotten since me and him fought. If he’s been able to really learn how to fight backwards, use his feints a little bit more, and then more of those lateral movements, I think Payton is top five in the world.”

“He needs to fight (Marlon) ‘Chito’ Vera next with a victory over Deiveson,” Cejudo said. “Sean O’Methley (O’Malley) denied that fight with him. Payton Talbott would beat the brakes off of him. Cory Sandhagen – I think all of these matchups are really good for Payton. He beats up Aiemann (Zahabi). He beats up everybody, in my opinion. I won’t even mind at this point, depending on how he looks with Deiveson: Give him Cory Sandhagen.”

Quotes via MMA Junkie

Can Talbott become world champion? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, BJPENN Nation!

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