Payton Talbott is ready to return to action against fellow prospect Felipe Lima following his first career loss at UFC 311 in January.
“I don’t think they originally wanted to matchmake us,” Talbott said when asked about the prospect vs. prospect nature of the fight.
Payton Talbott (9-1) was considered one of the UFC’s most talented rising prospects just six months ago. Following a loss to veteran Raoni Barcelos, Talbott’s hype has died down, with him being a +150 underdog to Lima at the time of this writing.
“I’m happy to fight this guy. This is a tough fight for me, and that’s what I’m here to do.”
Talbott later doubled down on his feelings towards the fight, “It’s fighting, this isn’t the ‘building the star’ business. I’m not surprised at all. If we’re both doing our job well in the next year or two, maybe we’ll meet up again.”
When asked about the skills of his opponent, Talbott had nothing but praise for the rising Brazilian, but thinks he can showcase his skills.
“I think it’ll just be a good fight. We’re both gonna show up to bang. I think he’s legit, durable, super well-rounded. So I think it’s a really good opportunity to show what I can do as well with a high-level opponent.”
When addressing added hate in the media following his loss, Talbott responded humorously,
“I’ve always said people, if not by the end of the career, are gonna hate me. People are just fickle, our memories are like goldfish.”
Talbott continued, “I’m still not over the loss, I don’t think I’ll ever be over that. That’s been my motivating factor every time I’ve been to the gym.”
The Frank Ocean Effect on Fame
Talbott said he also noticed more attention and a spike in followers after appearances with Frank Ocean. The 26-year-old compared his viral video with Ocean’s vocals to being an animal at the zoo.
“You know when you go to a zoo and you see a polar bear, it’s probably like how the polar bear feels. Just a bunch of people staring at you.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Payton Talbott above. He faces Felipe Lima at UFC 317 on Saturday night.
