Payton Talbott`s momentum faced a significant setback earlier this year when Raoni Barcelos secured a dominant decision victory over the bantamweight prospect at UFC 311. Now, Felipe Lima aims to completely halt Talbott`s ascent when they face off this Saturday at UFC 317.
Lima and Talbott are scheduled to open the main card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Lima, the seasoned Brazilian fighter, has an opportunity to maintain his undefeated record in the organization against the highly-touted talent.
According to Lima, Talbott favors striking and applying pressure on his opponents. While acknowledging Talbott`s good striking, Lima pointed out perceived weaknesses, particularly in the ground game, as demonstrated in his previous fight. “There are many holes in his game,” Lima stated. “I know what he will attempt. He mistakenly believes I only want to take him down and keep him there, but he is entirely wrong. He will try to pressure me, but I will pressure him back. It promises to be an excellent fight for the fans, and I`m pleased it was moved to the main card.”
Lima secured a submission victory over Muhammad Naimov in his UFC debut in Saudi Arabia, followed by a decision win against Miles Johns in Tampa. The match against Johns was accepted on short notice despite Lima dealing with health issues. He is now returning to his natural bantamweight division to face Talbott and anticipates being even more dominant at 135 pounds.
“I am significantly faster at 135,” Lima commented. “This is my division. At 145, I feel heavier and slower; that is not my weight class. I am happy to return to my division and eagerly anticipate UFC 317.”
Lima, a former Oktagon champion based in Sweden, revealed his initial opponent for UFC 317 was Jonathan Martinez. However, he required a new opponent after being informed Martinez suffered a fractured orbital bone during training. Lima mentioned that finding a replacement took two weeks, during which no one accepted the fight, eventually leading to the matchup against Talbott.
“I was growing frustrated because I was training, maintaining my diet, and ready to go, and I worried I wouldn`t get to fight at UFC 317,” Lima explained. “I am unsure how to interpret others not wanting to fight me. Perhaps it is the risk associated with fighting an unranked opponent. I don`t know the specifics of the negotiations, but fighting at UFC 317 is an opportunity one should not miss. When they called me, I accepted immediately, regardless of the opponent. I will never choose my fights.”
Undefeated since suffering his sole professional loss in his native Amazonas back in 2015, Lima boasts a 14-fight winning streak spanning nearly a decade and holds a 50 percent finish rate. He predicts he will stop Talbott, estimating the finish will come “in the second round, or late in the third.”
“Fighting him is a great opportunity because he has considerable hype and a large following,” Lima stated. “He is a good name to defeat and helps put my name forward for people in the UFC to see. The UFC was already looking to match me against ranked fighters because finding a standard opponent was difficult, which is why Jonathan Martinez was initially booked. Winning this fight elevates me to another level, and I am confident it will position me for a fight against a top 10 opponent next.”
