Payton Talbott and Felipe Lima meet Saturday in the main card opener of UFC 317 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
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Payton Talbott vs. Felipe Lima UFC 317 preview
Talbott (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) will look to rebound from the first loss of his professional career. At UFC 311 in January, Talbott dropped a unanimous decision to Raoni Barcelos. In his first three UFC appearances, Talbott finished each opponent, turning away Nick Aguirre, Cameron Saaiman and Yanis Ghemmouri. … After dropping his pro debut, Lima (14-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has not tasted defeat since. He’s won his first two UFC bouts by submitting Muhammad Naimov and winning a unanimous decision over Miles Johns.
Payton Talbott vs. Felipe Lima UFC 317 expert pick, prediction
Kicking off the paid portion of the card is a prospects battle at bantamweight between Payton Talbott and Felipe Lima.
Although it feels like the public has started to turn on Talbott since suffering a vet lesson at the hands of Raoni Barcelos earlier this year, I can’t say that I disagree with him being a slight underdog in this spot.
I’m a fan of Talbott’s style, but Lima has been a fighter I’ve had my eye on for some time, as he was prominently featured in my prospects to watch column prior to his arrival in the UFC.
Lima’s striking reminded me of a slightly more dynamic and polished version of Thomas Almeida’s striking when he was first stepping onto the UFC stage and has since demonstrated his underrated ground game.
Traveling and training with the likes of Khamzat Chimaev and others at places like Allstars Training Center and Bangtao Muay Thai, everything from Lima’s wrestling to conditioning appears to be getting better each time out.
I’ll be curious to see what kind of improvements Talbott was able to make to his defensive wrestling and tactics since his first pro defeat, but I think that the takedowns will be a big back-pocket option for Lima down the stretch.
The pick is Lima by unanimous decision.
Payton Talbott vs. Felipe Lima UFC 317 odds
The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the Brazilian fighter, listing Lima -194 and Talbott +150 via FanDuel.
Payton Talbott vs. Felipe Lima UFC 317 start time, how to watch
As the main card opener, Talbott and Lima are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 10:10 p.m. ET. The fight broadcasts on ESPN+ pay-per-view.
