Talbott Reveals Why He Vanished After Cejudo Win

Payton Talbott disappeared for 10 months after retiring Henry Cejudo, the biggest win of his career. The bantamweight prospect told reporters at a recent scrum he took the break deliberately to protect what mattered.

"I've just been doing me, but I've been training a lot and doing the same old things—music, travel," Talbott said, per MMA Mania. "But, yeah, I just took a step back from sharing. You know, you've got to keep really important things inside of yourself, or else you could potentially lose them. So, yeah, just detoxing for a second."

Talbott's Return At UFC 332 Against Figueiredo

The 27-year-old insisted he never wanted time away from competition. He was offered multiple fights during the layoff, but dates and opponents fell through. "I've been waiting for the better part of a year," he said. "If I don't fight before the end of the year, I don't know what will happen with my sanity."

Talbott acknowledged the matchmaking problem he faces. Ranked opponents have little incentive to fight him — a loss damages their standing, a win brings minimal upside. That reality forced him to accept a fight against Raoni Barcelos at UFC 311, a veteran sitting below him who pulled the upset via decision and handed Talbott his first professional loss.

He finally lands a ranked opponent at UFC 332 on October 3 in Salt Lake City. Former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo sits at No. 11 at bantamweight, giving Talbott a path into the top 15 after his longest stretch of inactivity since joining the promotion.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Video: UFC 332’s Payton Talbott reveals reason(s) behind 2026 inactivity ahead of upcoming Deiveson Figueiredo showdown