While the UFC’s Fight Night event at Meta APEX captured most of the fans’ attention tonight, Henry Cejudo made history elsewhere. The former two-division champion stepped into a professional boxing ring for the first time and walked away with a victory over an actor known for his role in Euphoria. But despite getting his hand raised, ‘Triple C’ didn’t exactly win over the fans with his performance.

Cejudo made his professional boxing debut last night against American boxer and actor Javon ‘Wanna’ Walton, who famously played Ashtray in Euphoria, at Misfits’ latest event at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida.

The former UFC double champion was originally scheduled to face Deen ‘The Great,’ but his opponent pulled out of the event with a shoulder injury. Walton stepped in on just two weeks’ notice, setting up a four-round, 147-pound main event between the former UFC champion and the young actor.

From the opening bell, Walton came forward throwing heavy punches, forcing Cejudo to take a step back. The speed difference was also noticeable, with the 20-year-old getting the better of some of the early exchanges.

Cejudo, however, gradually found his rhythm.

The former UFC two-division champion drew on his experience inside the Octagon, adopting a slightly wider stance and becoming more comfortable with his hands as the fight progressed. His right hand, particularly the overhand right, started finding its mark, and he appeared to hurt Walton multiple times.

The third round remained competitive, with both men having their moments. But Walton’s corner appeared to feel that they were behind on the scorecards, and the fourth round began with both fighters exchanging more aggressively.

Cejudo continued to land some of the cleaner shots, but Walton stayed in the fight until the final bell. The bout ultimately went to the judges, who declared ‘Triple C’ the winner by split decision.

Right after the fight, Cejudo thanked Walton for accepting the matchup on short notice and even suggested that the young fighter has a bright future ahead of him.

“Ah, dude, it felt good, man,” Cejudo told Fred Talks Fighting. “It was Boxing; it was different. It’s one of the toughest sports on planet Earth. It was cool to go up against somebody who had that much amateur experience and was 5-foot-9.

“I mean, the kid has a bright future. I know he took this fight on two weeks’ notice, but if they want to run it back, I think we should do it.”

And Walton isn’t simply an actor who picked up boxing on the side.

The 20-year-old has been training under his father and boxing coach, DJ Walton, from a young age. He began his amateur boxing career in 2015 and amassed a 20-9 record before turning professional in 2023.

Following the loss, Walton’s professional record now stands at 3-1-1. So while the matchup had plenty of entertainment value, Cejudo was facing a young fighter with a legitimate boxing background rather than someone completely unfamiliar with the sport.

That distinction, however, didn’t stop fans from having their say.

Fans roast Henry Cejudo after beating Euphoria star in professional boxing debut  

Cejudo’s split-decision victory quickly became a source of jokes among fans, with many focusing on the fact that the former UFC champion needed the judges against an actor making his own name in boxing.

One fan wrote, “Henry Cejudo not beating the washed allegations 😭.” Following that, another user commented, “A split decision against an actor is crazy.”

The backlash against the former UFC two-division champion continued with another fan writing, “Triple wash Cejudo really robbed a split decision win against a c-list celebrity 😂💀💀💀💀💀”

Fans are understandably underwhelmed with Henry Cejudo’s performance against the TV star. Cejudo was a two-weight-division champion in the UFC and showed decent hands against fighters like Demetrious Johnson and Dominick Cruz. However, professional boxing is a different ball game, and ‘Triple C’ is primarily a freestyle grappler.

Keeping that in mind, Cejudo’s boxing debut looks a little more impressive than fans give it credit for. Plus, he’s 39 years old and well past his prime, and he just faced a young boxer who’s been training since a very early age. Even so, fans kept roasting the former UFC champ over his first-ever boxing performance.

A fan wrote, “A split decision against a literal actor is wild, but honestly Walton showed more grace in defeat than most pros do in victory.”  

Though Henry Cejudo is drawing backlash for his boxing debut, he’s not the only fighter to make his first pro boxing bout against a movie star. Before him, former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski made his boxing debut against Kelechi Dyke, who appeared on Netflix’s show Too Hot to Handle.

Following that reaction, a different fan feels Cejudo is now ready to face Jake Paul: “Triple C vs Jake Paul 2027.”

Cejudo being 39 and fresh off a boxing debut makes him a fitting candidate to face Paul, who tends to clash with fighters past their prime. He also once angled for a fight with Gervonta Davis, who was considerably smaller than him. So ‘The Problem Child’ might be open to a clash with ‘Triple C’ if it gains enough traction.

Another fan interestingly commented, “Why is he celebrating like he just became UFC champ again.”

Henry Cejudo is one of those fighters who initially retired at the top. In fact, ‘Triple C’ had two gold belts wrapped around his waist in 2020, a feat not many have had the fortune of achieving. But when he finally returned to the UFC in 2023, he went winless until retiring once again in December 2025 after losing to Payton Talbott at UFC 323.

Cejudo did manage to snap his overall losing streak at a grappling event, but boxing comes far closer to what an MMA fight offers in terms of pure striking. That’s probably why the Californian celebrated his heart out, knowing he can still inflict damage with his hands.

That said, beyond the backlash, Henry Cejudo may well have found a new home for his career. Who knows? He might run it back against Walton or face a new opponent in Misfits.