The hype train following bantamweight prospect Payton Talbott underwent an unexpected derailment on Saturday at UFC 311 in Los Angeles.
Talbott (9-1), a 26-year-old who entered his third UFC appearance as a -1200 betting favorite, ran into a determined veteran in Raoni Barcelos (19-5) and took home a wide defeat via unanimous decision after judges scored the bout 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26.
The battle-tested Barcelos, 37, said during fight week that he felt disrespected by the betting odds against such an inexperienced yet promising fighter. The native of Brazil scored his first of eight takedowns in the opening seconds of the fight, threatened three times with rear-naked choke attempts and closed the fight with heavy ground-and-pound in the closing seconds inside the Intuit Dome.
“Belief and trust,” Barcelos said. “Don’t believe in me? The people around me, they believe in me and I proved, today, that I can fight among the top of this decision.”
The explosive Talbott, a native of Las Vegas who fights out of Reno, Nevada, was one of the more highly touted prospects UFC has seen in recent years. But he never found himself in a dominant position over 15 minutes, save for a single takedown to open Round 3.
The two fighters traded heavy punches in the final minute of Round 3 with Talbott showing life by landing a jumping knee to the face of an over aggressive Barcelos. But the veteran, as he did all fight, quickly snuffed out Talbott’s momentum by absorbing the knee and instantly taking his opponent down before achieving full mount.
Talbott turned pro in 2021 and won his first five bouts on the regional circuit before a successful opportunity in 2023 on “The Dana White Contender Series.” But he was routinely swallowed up by Barcelos’ pressure and grappling prowess in a humbling defeat.
Barcelos, who lost four of five fights between 2021 and 2023, earned his second straight victory with the upset.
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