Payton Talbott came into his fight with Yanis Ghemmouri at UFC 303 as a massive favorite. Talbott proved he was worthy of the presumed advantage with a dynamic 19-second KO to run his record to a perfect 9-0.
In case you missed it, here is a look at the finish:
Any 19-second KO is usually impressive, but the finish is even more noteworthy when you consider Talbott actually sent a video to his opponent–translated into his language–giving Ghemmouri the game plan to defeat him.
Ghemmouri didn’t watch the video and couldn’t execute the plan. At 135 pounds, Talbott looks like a serious future title contender.
Talbott’s KO win was the first finish of the evening, and it helped to wake the crowd after three of the first four fights were pretty forgettable.
Immediately after the finish, several fighters took to X to voice their impressions of Talbott’s dynamic victory.
When this level of UFC athletes take notice of a fight on the prelims of an event, it tells you something about how good Talbott is and how impressive he was on Saturday.
During Talbott’s post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, he didn’t hesitate to call his shot for his next fight. Talbott calmly asked for a fight with another fighter who sits just outside of the division’s Top-15, Adrian Yanez.
It didn’t take long for Yanez to respond via X, and it seems like he’s interested.
The UFC’s official X account reposted Yanez’s response to the Talbott callout, which suggests there is a good chance the fight can happen. Because of how quickly Talbott dispatched of Ghemmouri, it’s possible the former could be available for a quick turnaround.
With Talbott’s star shining so bright, you have to wonder if the UFC would try to put him on the Noche UFC card headed to the Las Vegas Sphere in September.
Talbott is a Reno, Nevada native, which makes it a potentially more attractive fight in his home state. Beyond that, Talbott has some true superstar potential, his presence on the historic card’s prelims could be amazing.
There at least seems to be a chance we could see Conor McGregor return on that card, if his health holds up. Talbott wanted to fight on UFC 303 with McGregor, perhaps he’ll still have the chance to share an event with the sport’s biggest star.
