Talbott On Reinventing Himself Before Figueiredo Fight

Payton Talbott says his nine-month break from competition allowed him to reinvent his approach ahead of Saturday's UFC 332 clash with former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo.

The bantamweight prospect, who stopped Henry Cejudo in December, told the UFC that his extended camp focused on refining techniques while preserving the style that got him this far. "I trained pretty much the whole year, and I feel like I kind of reinvented myself a little bit and went back to my roots, went inward," he said, per Sherdog.

Talbott's Evolution Ahead Of Figueiredo Clash

Talbott explained that his growth came from balancing outside influences with his natural instincts. He noted that fighters sometimes absorb too much from training partners at other gyms, losing what made them effective in the first place. "The reason you got where you are is because of you," he said. "You just have to correctly learn how to implement it and not let it fully change you, but just use the best of what you learn."

Figueiredo moved up to bantamweight after losing his flyweight title and has posted mixed results at 135 pounds. Talbott enters the bout 9-0 with five finishes and will look to add another former champion to his resume when the two meet at Delta Center in Salt Lake City on October 3.

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• Sherdog — Payton Talbott says he ‘reinvented’ himself ahead of UFC 332