Prospect in the Spotlight (Aug 11-12): Payton Talbott

Introduction

Tuesday, August 8th, American bantamweight prospect Payton Talbott will be in action for Dana White’s Contender Series, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Junior Cortez. He will be looking for another win, as Talbott looks to impress the UFC brass and score a UFC contract. He represents Reno Academy of Combat, a lesser-known camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”

Strengths

Striking: Talbott is a long, rangy striker who uses his distance well, yet is able to pressure his opponents with his striking. I’ve heard a comparison between him and Sean O’Malley when it comes to their striking style and I have to say that is pretty accurate. Watch his most recent A1 Combat Championship victory over Cristhian Rivas. He swarmed him with a volume of accurate, damaging strikes that really had Rivas on his heels. Talbott is very fun to watch on the feet.

Size: For a bantamweight, Talbott is a very big fighter for the division. He is 5’10”, which is one inch shorter than the aforementioned O’Malley, who himself is a very tall bantamweight. He’s also physically strong, and having long limbs allows him leverage and the ability to generate a lot of power.

Needs Improvement

Needs Experience: Honestly, this isn’t even really a knock, as I see Talbott being a very intriguing prospect. He does have a 5-0 amateur record and is currently 5-0 as a pro. However, with being so young and only having five pro fights, I think Talbott is a tad inexperienced. That said, he has serious potential and can prove he’s ready to keep stepping up in competition, which starts with Junior Cortez here.

Outlook

Potential Future Top-20: I am very high on Talbott, especially since he’s just a kid in his early 20s. He’s already this good and dangerous, so imagine him in a few years when he’s got even more experience and seasoning. Like I said, I think the comparisons to a young Sean O’Malley are completely fair. They have similar striking styles, similar body types and a similar aggressive style. Give Talbott half a decade or so and I think he is a top-20 UFC bantamweight, maybe top-10.