Payton Talbott Goes off on UFC, Drops Surprising Claims on His Inactivity

Payton Talbott is known for his interactions with his fans. On several occasions, the UFC fighter has had some honest conversations about his career. Likewise, in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Talbott pointed out why he has been absent from the octagon for all this time. Surprisingly, detailing the reason, Talbott blamed the UFC and sounded off for booking him only once. 

Speaking with Helwani, Talbott detailed how he was healthy and ready to fight for one full year, but surprisingly, Dana White did not approach him and booked him only once. Such an attitude from the UFC did not sit well with the American fighter. 

Payton Talbott Upset with Lack of Fights in 2026

He said, “I’ve had talks all throughout the year about potentially fighting in April, May, even June and things just never happened. I don’t know exactly why, but here we are, finally got one so I’m happy, but it’s a little frustrating. I’m nearing my prime, I’m young, I’m healthy, Im feeling the strongest and fastest I’ve ever been, but I don’t have a name.”

Talbott has had a fine run in the UFC till now. Having lost only one fight, the bantamweight star is now aiming to climb up the rankings and maybe aim for a championship bout. Following his win last December against Henry Cejudo, Talbott will now be fighting Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 332. Meanwhile, the bantamweight fighter also had a surprising revelation about his UFC Freedom 250 fight. 

Payton Talbott Claims he Almost Fought Sean O’Malley at The White House

The UFC White House event was a massive success. While a lot of fighters on the roster had the experience of a lifetime, Talbott could have been a part of the same group. In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Talbott said that he was in talks with the UFC to fight Sean O’Malley.

He said, “Well, I was supposed to fight Sean (O'Malley), I was supposed to fight him, I was supposed to fight her, all kinds of names. But supposedly when I was supposed to fight them they all had a broken foot.”

Thus, with a lot going on, it now remains to be seen what’s next.