Breakthrough performances are something all big MMA stars have during their come-up and Payton Talbott’s could’ve been his win this weekend against Cameron Saaiman.
Payton Talbott put on a sensational performance against fellow prospect, Cameron Saaiman, which has left fans wondering if the 25-year-old has star potential. Prior to the fight, his style was compared to that of bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley, which he went on to showcase, finishing with devastating strikes in round two.
Let’s take a look at who the Contender Series alum could end up taking on next.
Payton Talbott vs Marcus McGhee
Marcus ‘The Maniac’ McGhee knows the bantamweight champion well, as he trains at the MMA Lab with ‘Suga’. McGhee has been extremely impressive since his late-notice UFC debut win in April last year, where he displayed a super fun style against Journey Newson.
Since then he has picked up a few more solid finishes which have put him close the the bantamweight rankings. With both McGhee and Talbott possessing fan-favorite styles, this could be a potential banger of a fight.
Despite that, I’m not sure it’ll be a fight on the UFC’s agenda just yet, with both fighters still on their respective rises. However, recently the UFC has matched up two fighters on the rise, so this one isn’t completely out of the realms of possibility.
Payton Talbott vs Raoni Barcelos
Talbott’s next move as obvious as it sounds, is completely dependent on how quickly the promotion decides to push him.
Raoni Barcelos despite not being ranked, is the sort’ve test that will show whether Talbott is ready for a quick transition into ranked fights. The Brazilian has a vast amount of experience fighting against upcoming prospects with him becoming almost an unofficial gatekeeper.
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This fight would tell us a lot about Payton Talbott, despite Barcelos not being a fighter people are awfully high on. He is a step up in terms of experience, and that could be key in Talbott’s development as a fighter.
Payton Talbott vs Cody Stamann
This potential fight is similar to the Barcelos fight in terms of this being a good step for Talbott on an experience level.
Cody Stamann is probably a slight level above Raoni Barcelos because of his skill set and he would likely be able to show the 25-year-old something he’s not seen before. Having said that, it’s a fight that could still make a lot of sense for Talbott as Stamann is a respected fighter in the bantamweight division.
Ultimately, Talbott is going to have a striking advantage over most of the fighters outside of the top 15 in the 135lb division, so it is about finding a fighter who may be able to bring out a different side of him.
This is the one from the list so far, that I think is most likely to happen next.
Payton Talbott vs Pedro Munhoz
Hear me out. This fight is extremely unlikely to happen next but if the UFC is looking to get Talbott into the rankings with one more win, Pedro Munhoz is the guy.
I think this could be too big of a step too soon for Talbott and I think the UFC would likely share that same opinion, but I think it could still be a very competitive fight if it was made next.
The Brazilian veteran is hanging onto his 135lb ranking as he currently occupies rank 15. ‘The Young Punisher’ has lost two of his last three fights, with him likely having to defend his ranking again in his next fight.
I think this could happen down the line, but maybe not next.
Talbott’s recent performances will have undoubtedly put him on the radar of a lot of the bantamweight division and the 25-year-old’s star potential is abundantly clear.
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