Payton Talbott has bounced back.
One of the UFC’s fastest-rising stars in terms of popularity, Talbott (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) successfully rebounded Saturday at UFC 317 when he upset former OKTAGON champion Felipe Lima (14-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) with a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) victory.
The bantamweight bout kicked off the UFC 317 main card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
A scrambly opening five minutes saw Lima take Talbott to the canvas multiple times and even take his back at one point. But Talbott stayed composed and utilized his aggressive striking Round 2, during which he mounted Lima though could not finish. In Round 3, Talbott overcame some Lima success early to outbattle the Brazilian late in the fight – and subsequently get the nod from all three judges.
Talbott, 26, turned heads for his flashy fighting style and unique personality coming out of Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023. Following wins over Nick Aguirre, Cameron Saaiman, and Yanis Ghemmouri, Talbott lost for the first time as a pro vs. Raoni Barcelos in January.
Lima, 27, loses for the first time since his pro debut in August 2015. Lima defeated Muhammad Naimov and Miles Johns in the UFC prior to Saturday’s fight.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 317 results:
- Payton Talbott def. Felipe Lima via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Gregory Rodrigues def. Jack Hermansson via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 4:21
- Jose Delgado def. Hyder Amil via knockout (knee and punches) – Round 1, 0:26
- Tracy Cortez def. Viviane Araujo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Terrance McKinney def. Viacheslav Borshchev via submission (mounted guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:55
- Jacobe Smith def. Niko Price via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:03
- Jhonata Diniz def. Alvin Hines via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
