UFC Vegas 89 star Payton Talbott sees UFC legend as stepping stone to Sean O’Malley ‘dream fight’

To the assembled media scrum, he said:

[On getting to an O'Malley fight] I just need to keep having performances like that and do my dirty work...and just uh keep beating dogs like that. I need to put my time in and, um, solidify myself against game opponents...I mean...I don't know too many people in my division, so maybe Dominick Cruz [laughs]... Payton Talbott to MMA Junkie and other media at UFC on ESPN 53 post-fight conference

By his own account, Payton Talbott often sees a comparison to ‘Suga’. Sporting a frilly hairstyle like O’Malley and with a can-do attitude, his follow-up strikes led to a TKO finish. He defeated Cameron Saaiman in Round 2. Netizens have even taken to calling him the “Real” Sean O’Malley. The Dana White‘s Contender Series (DWCS) alum once named O’Malley as the endgame before.

Now he is willing to face former 2-time champ Dominick Cruz as a stepping stone to O’Malley who had a dominant maiden defense against Marlon Vera at UFC 299. Now, Talbott is ready to engage in a lengthy tirade with one to reach the other.

Payton Talbott and Sean O’Malley – Through the Thin Line

The bantamweight main card bout at the UFC Apex saw rising Payton Talbott defeat his opponent just into the second round. He had a dominant 1st round, connecting most of his shots. But, then with a hard left hook and follow-up pounding, he sealed the deal at the 0:21 mark.

Accordingly, his performance saw similarities to one-shot wonder and current divisional titleholder Sean O’Malley. ‘Suga’, consequently, notched his first title defense at UFC 299. His performance was brutally loud if nothing else. He thus strived on to a clean unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-44) win in the stint.

Talbott recently aspired to rise to the champ after the fight. Here’s how they compare, apart from the specific hairstyle:

O’Malley is 18-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC. His only skid came to Marlon Vera due to a peroneal nerve injury, which he has since rectified. His multiple takedowns at the hand of Petr Yan at UFC 280 and his strike-only disposition often get gibed. But, he is a Quintet: Ultra and 155lbs Advanced No-gi division Grappling Industries alum.

Compared to that, Talbott is undefeated at 8-0 MMA and 2-0 UFC. By the numbers, he has 149 (86%) Mean significant strikes landed above the torso. He is also proving to be one of the rising strikers in UFC history.

He has Five wins by KO, and one win by submission (rear-naked choke). It would be immensely interesting to see two fighters at the opposite spectrum meet one day, who prefer to duke it out standing. He is as of yet unranked in the top #15.