Payton Talbott Says He 'Reinvented' Himself for UFC 332

Payton Talbott says a nine-month layoff forced him to rebuild parts of his game before he steps back in against Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 332 on Oct. 3 in Salt Lake City.

Talbott hasn't fought since December, when he beat former two-division champion Henry Cejudo. He spent the gap training rather than chasing a quick turnaround, and he says the time away changed how he approaches fights.

"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," Talbott said.

What Did Payton Talbott Change Before Fighting Figueiredo?

Talbott says the reinvention wasn't about adding gimmicks, it was about filtering outside input through what already worked for him. He described traveling to train with new coaches and training partners, picking up pieces here and there, but staying careful not to lose what got him to the UFC in the first place.

"You go and train out of town, and you pick people's brains and sometimes you take things from them and implement them into your game," Talbott said. "But a lot of the times, the reason you got where you are is because of you. And so, 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."

That's a notable thing for a 24-year-old prospect to say out loud. Fighters on hot streaks usually talk about staying the same, not retooling. Talbott coming off a signature win over Cejudo and still describing a full rebuild suggests he wants this fight to look different from his last one, not just be a continuation of it.

The Betting Angle

Sportsbooks are treating this like a mismatch on paper. Talbott has opened as a heavy favorite, with lines as short as -550 at some books against Figueiredo priced around +410, and some shops have pushed the number even further toward Talbott. That price reflects Figueiredo's rough stretch since moving up to bantamweight, a skid that includes just one win in his last five outings, against a gauntlet of ranked names.

A line that lopsided usually means the market sees a clear gap in speed, output and youth, all areas where Talbott has built his reputation. But Figueiredo is a two-time flyweight champion with knockout power that's humbled bigger names before, and live underdog prices on a fighter with that pedigree tend to draw action regardless of the juice. For bettors, the number itself is less interesting than the live dog angle. Betting Figueiredo isn't about expecting him to out-point Talbott over three rounds, it's a bet on one finishing sequence changing the fight before the judges ever get involved.

Talbott's claim that he's sharpened his game only adds to the lean toward the favorite, but a fighter who says he's reworked his approach against a dangerous veteran is also a fighter worth watching closely in the opening minute, before anyone finds out if the new wrinkles actually hold up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Payton Talbott fighting at UFC 332?

Payton Talbott faces former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in a bantamweight bout at UFC 332 on Oct. 3 in Salt Lake City.

What did Payton Talbott say about his time away from the Octagon?

Payton Talbott said a nine-month layoff let him train full time and rework parts of his game, calling it a process of reinventing himself while staying true to what already made him successful.

Who is favored in the Talbott vs. Figueiredo odds for UFC 332?

Payton Talbott has opened as a heavy betting favorite over Deiveson Figueiredo, with some sportsbooks pricing Talbott as short as -550 ahead of their UFC 332 bantamweight bout.