UFC Bantamweight prospect Payton Talbott has finally issued a statement after suffering his first professional career loss.
Talbott came into the octagon with an undefeated record but this was broken shortly after encountering veteran fighter Raoni Barcelos at UFC 311. The fighter used his grappling skills to keep the newcomer in check for the three rounds of the fight. Barcelos used his impressive takedown skills to defeat Talbott and hand him his first loss.
After taking some days to digest the result before releasing a statement, it doesn’t appear as though the defeat in Los Angeles has dented the up-and-comer’s motivation.
“The vet gave me my first scar,” he wrote on Instagram. “May the skin heal itself to be strong and never split again. lucky to have such people in my life. fortunate to be able to learn valuable lessons. still had fun.”
Prior to that setback, Talbott had won his first three UFC fights, including a 19-second knockout of Yanis Ghemmouri at UFC 303. Barcelos, 37, has now won two straight fights to boost his UFC record to 8-4.
At the age of just 26, it’s safe to say that there’s plenty of time for the talented striker to round out his game in the months and years to come.
