Payton Anthony Talbott (born September 9, 1998) is an American professional mixed martial artist, currently competing in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
[11][12] Before discovering mixed martial arts, Talbott played football and competitively wrestled while a student at Reno High School.
[3][15][16] He chose to begin mixed martial arts classes when he saw Conor McGregor’s highlights while sitting at a restaurant, having stopped sports for his college studies.
[3][14][17] Talbott made his professional debut on November 27, 2021, at FirePower 3: Magnum Force in Sacramento, California and finished his opponent in the second round.
[17][18] Talbott then defeated Cristhian Rivas with punches and elbow strikes in round three on March 18, 2023 to earn his fifth knockout win as a professional.
[29] This victory earned him his first Performance of the Night bonus award in his career and was acclaimed by pundits as well as former UFC champions Aljamain Sterling and Jamahal Hill.
[31] He won the fight via knockout in an expeditious manner after only 19 seconds in the first round, knocking Ghemmouri down with a straight right and finishing him with a few punches on the ground.
[34] In a bout where he was largely controlled and outwrestled, he lost the fight by unanimous decision leading to his first loss in mixed martial arts.
[16] Talbott is a skateboard enthusiast and passionate about music but wasn't a fan of mixed martial arts nor the UFC until he was a high school senior.
He has a vinyl record collection that includes The Doors, Pink Floyd, Neil Young, Tupac Shakur and the Bee Gees.
[38] Having a YouTube channel where he posts experimental videos to promote his career and fights, he told to Ariel Helwani in The MMA Hour that he edits those himself with a friend.