Payton Talbott Returns at UFC 332 Against No. 11 Figueiredo After 10-Month Absence
Updated
Updated · Yahoo Sports · Aug 18
Payton Talbott Returns at UFC 332 Against No. 11 Figueiredo After 10-Month Absence
3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Aug 18
Summary
Oct. 3 brings Talbott back at UFC 332 in Salt Lake City, where the 27-year-old bantamweight will face former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo after 10 months away.
Talbott said the layoff was not a break from fighting but a retreat from public exposure, describing it as a personal "detox" while he kept training, making music and traveling.
He said matchmaking delays stretched the absence, with injuries, scheduling conflicts and top-10 opponents reluctant to risk fighting an unranked contender who offered little upside.
That logjam followed Talbott's biggest win in Dec. 2025, when he stopped Henry Cejudo, and left him stuck after a résumé-building upset loss to Raoni Barcelos.
Figueiredo, ranked No. 11 at bantamweight, now gives Talbott a direct chance to recover momentum and push into the UFC's top 15.