The Rise Of Payton Talbott

One of the most intruiging prospects on the UFC roster returns to action this weekend as Payton Talbott (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) steps into the Octagon to face Raoni Barcellos in the featured preliminary bout at UFC 311.

The 26-year-old Reno native has enjoyed a blistering start to life as a UFC fighter since his first introduction to fans when he appeared on Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) in August of 2023.

Three consecutive knockout victories (with two ‘performance of the night’ bonuses along the way) have earmarked Talbott as one of the most exciting rising stars in the UFC’s talent-rich bantamweight division.

Alongside his scintillating fighting style and his ability to consistently finish fights in such a destructive manner, Talbott’s unique personality and demeanour have also helped to seperate him from the chasing pack and grab the attention of UFC fans all over the world.

Talbott’s Philosophical View Of Fighting

Talbott is the antithesis of the stereotypical mixed martial arts fighter. His YouTube channel showcases a young man obsessed with exploring his creative side and he experiments with a wide variety of hobbies not generally associated with UFC athletes – making movies, acting, DJ-ing and skateboarding to name just a few.

“It’s probably all the emotions” he explained recently during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show when asked to describe how he feels about fighting. “It’s excitement, it’s love, it’s like power and there is like a little bit of violent and dark emotion in there, but just as you can go dark, you can go the opposite way, you know?”

“I love the money and the pay is really nice” he continued, “but it’s really cool being able to understand yourself through another person, and I feel like that’s the only way we really can understand ourselves. If you sit in a box that’s just white walls, there’s no difference between you and the walls so there’s not really much you can understand.

“But if you put yourself in a room with three different people, you can understand yourself through the contrast of those three people, and I feel like there’s no other easier way to do that than fighting because you’re in direct contrast with someone. It’s like you versus them. It’s the most clear way to define your ideals versus theirs”.

A Proclivity For Violence

Behind the compelling persona however, lies an exceptionally talented young fighter with an uncanny ability to turn an opponent’s lights out in an instant, a power that not many in the lighter weight classes possess.

Talbott has finished eight of his nine professional opponents to date, with seven of those victories coming by way of KO/TKO. The outlier on that resume is his impressive unanimous decision victory over Reyes Cortez Jr. on DWCS during which we caught a glimpse of his capacity for improvisation as he backflipped his way out a takedown attmept from his opponent.

“This kid is an absolute predator” opined UFC president Dana White after the fight. “He keeps moving forward, he seems unfazed by everything that happens.

“He plays the mental game, he keeps talking to his opponent, which by the way – Reyes Cortez Jr. is as tough as they come, tough as nails. Payton hit him with everything tonight, big shots, combinations, leg kicks, head kicks, you name it. He’s only 24-years-old. If this kid can keep his head together, I can’t wait to see him at 27”.

Welcome To The Big Leagues

Aside from his knockout power, Talbott also possesses a strong fight IQ which was on display during his UFC debut against Nick Aguirre in November of 2023. He showed great patience to withstand some early wrestling-heavy pressure from his opponent before sytematically breaking him down over the course of the second round.

Talbott’s relentlessness told on Aguirre who crumpled to the canvas late in the round only to be saved by the bell, but once the fight resumed for round three there was no place to hide. Talbott’s impressive athleticism was again on display as he disengaged from a grappling exchange by backflipping over the shoulder of his grounded opponent.

A crushing kick to the liver forced a desperate but sloppy takedown attempt from Aguirre, and Talbott capitalized by making his way to the mounted position with ease. Hammerfists helped to expose the neck of Aguirre and Talbott sunk in a rear naked choke to secure the first submission win of his career.

Clash Of Two Rising Stars

Talbott returned for his second UFC appearance in March of 2024 where he was paired with Cameron Saimann, another up-and-coming star in the 135 lb division.

His display throughout the opening round of that clash perfectly encapsulated how he always seems to be in control of his opponents during fights. He dictated the flow of the striking exchanges, constantly landing the most impactful shots and forcing Saimann to seach for solutions.

When he did manage to make Saimann attempt to close the distance or change levels, Talbott was ready every single time. He repeatedly caught his opponent with short strikes upon entry and even dropped Saimann with an expertly-timed counter left hook.

Saimann was on the canvas again later in the round after eating a knee from Talbott, and at the beginning of the second round he walked straight onto a perfectly-timed check hook and found himself staring up at the lights of the UFC Apex, before Talbott pounced to end the fight with a flurry of hammerfists.

“Payton Talbott is that guy” UFC color commentator Laura Sanko proclaimed immediately after the finish. “He is that guy. I mean, he just took out one of the nastiest prospects in this division in Cameron Saimann and made it look easy”.

Image: Payton Talbott IG

Unstoppable Momentum

That victory earned Payton Talbott his first appearance in front of a live UFC audience. He was paired with Yanis Ghemmouri on the undercard for UFC 303 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and rose to the occasion by flatlining his opponent by way of a right hand placed perfectly on the Frenchman’s chin.

“Electric” he replied when Joe Rogan asked him during his post-fight interview how he was feeling in that moment. “It feels like all my dreams are coming true and everything I believed is just in front of my hands now so I just gotta keep going at it”.

Talbott is lined up for another step up in competition this weekend as he gets set to face Raoni Barcellos (18-5 MMA, 7-4 UFC). He goes into UFC 311 as the biggest betting favorite on the card and should he dispose of the Brazilian veteran in the same manner that he has all his previous UFC opponents, the sky will be the limit for Payton Talbott going into 2025.

Paul Browne

Paul Browne is a professional mixed martial arts commentator, feature writer and podcaster based in Dublin, Ireland.