Payton Talbott maintained his undefeated record with a beautiful performance against Cameron Saaiman at UFC on ESPN 53.
The bantamweight main card bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas nearly didn’t see a second round, but Talbott (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) ensured it ended there after dropping Saaiman (9-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) with a hard left hook. The follow-up strikes on led to a TKO finish at 0:21 in Round 2.
The fight was Talbott’s from the moment it began.
In the first round, the Las Vegas native Talbott patiently picked off Saaiman with accurate strikes throughout. Anything he threw landed effectively, and after a flurry of strikes in Round 1, he nearly ended the fight. Somehow, Saaiman did just enough to keep the referee away.
However, early in Round 2, Talbott connected with a sharp left hand to drop the South African, ultimately leading to the finish soon after.
PURE DOMINANCE FROM PAYTON TALBOTT 👊 #UFCVegas89 pic.twitter.com/M437nozeeD
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 24, 2024
Talbott has been very impressive early in his UFC career. The Dana White’s Contender Series veteran has finished both of his opponents: Nick Aguirre by third-round submission and Saaiman by second-round TKO.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 53 results include:
- Payton Talbott def. Cameron Saaiman via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 0:21
- Youssef Zalal def. Billy Quarantillo via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:50
- Fernando Padilla def. Luis Pajuelo via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 1, 2:45
- Trey Ogden def. Kurt Holobaugh via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Julian Erosa def. Ricardo Ramos via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:15
- Miles Johns def. Cody Gibson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jarno Errens def. Steven Nguyen via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Darya Zheleznyakova def. Montserrat Rendon via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Andre Lima def. Igor Severino via disqualification (biting) – Round 2, 2:52
- Mick Parkin def. Mohammed Usman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 53.
