Henry Cejudo faces 20-year-old Wanna Walton in Misfits Boxing headliner after Deen the Great withdraws

Henry Cejudo will face 20-year-old Wanna Walton in the main event of Saturday night’s Misfits Boxing card at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, after original opponent Deen the Great withdrew from the bout just two weeks before fight night.

The late replacement has caught the attention of broadcast host Lauren Blake, who described the switch as a significant stylistic curveball for Cejudo heading into his Misfits debut.

“It was just absurd,” Blake told MMA Fighting. “Like, imagine, it’s just such an unusual fight, and two weeks before fight night, Deen the Great drops out and they put Wanna Walton in, who is completely different. 20 years old, southpaw, has been professionally developed as a boxer, and has this acting credit behind him too. But stylistically, the entire fight changes. So I think it’s a really interesting move. It’s definitely a curveball for everybody.”

Walton’s profile is a sharp contrast to Deen the Great’s. The 20-year-old southpaw brings a formal boxing background and an acting résumé into the main event slot, shifting the dynamic of what was already an unconventional matchup for the former UFC double champion.

Blake, who will serve as one of the hosts for Saturday’s card, came to combat sports broadcasting after studying biochemistry at Arizona State University. She has since built a prominent presence at major fight events, most notably covering the Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul card in December, where she was ringside when Joshua’s final punch broke Paul’s jaw.

“I was right behind Jake when Anthony threw that last punch that broke his jaw, so I heard the crack,” Blake recalled. “I have video of it, too. So the whole experience is definitely just — it was one of a kind.”

With Walton now confirmed as Cejudo’s opponent, attention turns to how the UFC veteran adapts to a younger, orthodox-trained southpaw on short notice in what is already an unfamiliar competitive environment for him.