UFC commentator and veteran coach Din Thomas says that one ‘pet peeve’ stopped 25-year-old Payton Talbott from having the perfect performance at UFC Vegas 89.
There aren’t many coaches or media members with more knowledge and insight than Din Thomas, who took the opportunity to offer undefeated bantamweight prospect Payton Talbott some vital career advice after a headline-grabbing KO at UFC Vegas 89.
Talbott didn’t have a name in mind for his next potential bout
Whilst Talbott was the clear favorite heading into UFC Vegas 89, many within the MMA fanbase were expecting a close and competitive back-and-forth with the extremely talented Cameron Saaiman.
Yet the 25-year-old prospect was out to prove a point, keeping the fight firmly in his domain and scoring a vicious KO victory over the South African just 21 seconds into the second round.
Talking to Paul Felder after the finish, Talbott didn’t have anyone particularly in mind for his next potential opponent – something that veteran coach Din Thomas takes issue with.
Coach Din Thomas and Michael Chiesa offer vital career advice to Talbott
Speaking on the post-show after the UFC Vegas 89 broadcast had concluded, as shared by Dan Hellie on social media, coach Din Thomas and UFC fan-favorite fighter Michael Chiesa celebrated both the performance and potential of Talbott.
Yet with so much combined experience both inside and outside the UFC octagon, Chiesa and Thomas identified the one key aspect that Talbott must improve on moving forward – his post-fight interviews.
Having someone to call out “is part of the strategy,” said Thomas, adding “We talk about that before the fight” so there is a name ready to go, should a fighter get the chance to hold a UFC microphone after a viral win:
“You don’t want the matchmakers to put you in a position where they’re just guiding you along – you want to have some say in your career…It’s actually a pet peeve of mine when a fighter does not have a name to call out, you should have a name, have two or three names [ready].”
Chiesa, who also claimed that Talbott has ‘superstar’ potential after his UFC Vegas 89 win, wholeheartedly agreed with coach Din Thomas, noting: “Make the job of the matchmakers easier, if you call for a fight that makes sense then they will give it to you.”
“Going forward I hope that this kid takes my advice and just grabs the reins on your career because you’re going to win a lot of fights and you’re going to have a lot of opportunities to pick the fights you want, as long as they make sense.”
Fighters react to Payton Talbott’s impressive KO at UFC Vegas 89
It wasn’t just Thomas and Chiesa who were impressed by Talbott’s performance at the weekend, with the 25-year-old earning some major praise from veteran UFC fighters on social media.
Terrance McKinney said, “This dude got that Sean O’Malley accuracy,” with Aljamain Sterling calling Talbott a “legit” problem at 135lbs.
Jamahal Hill shared that “this Talbott kid is special” with Andre Fili adding that he is “one of the best young prospects in the sport” – but what matchups make sense for Talbott moving forward?