Payton Talbott vs. Figueiredo: The 11-1 Prospect's Next Test at UFC 332

Payton Talbott keeps climbing, and the UFC keeps handing him bigger names. The 11-1 Reno bantamweight headlines the co-main event at UFC 332 in Salt Lake City this weekend against former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, a step up from the gatekeeper tier straight into ranked territory.

Figueiredo sits at #9 in the division with a 25-7-1 record and a resume that includes a 125-pound title run. He's also coming off a rough night — a second-round submission loss to Song Yadong — so this fight matters for both men, just in opposite directions. Talbott wants to prove the hype is real. Figueiredo needs to stop the slide.

The Cejudo Statement

Talbott's stock didn't rise by accident. In December at UFC 323 he ran through Henry Cejudo, the former two-division champ and Olympic gold medalist, in a performance that flipped him from prospect to genuine problem. Beating a name like Cejudo buys you a spot in the pecking order, and Figueiredo is the kind of veteran who either confirms your ceiling or exposes it.

The matchup is a classic grind-versus-flash setup on paper. Figueiredo splits his 25 wins evenly between KOs and submissions — nine apiece — meaning he's dangerous wherever the fight goes if he can impose his pace. Talbott's job is to not let the Brazilian turn it into a scramble.

Around the Card

Elsewhere on the UFC 332 slate, welterweight veteran Court McGee says he plans to retire after his bout with Eric Nolan on Saturday. McGee leaves with a 23-14 mark built largely on his grappling — nine submissions to just three knockouts — and enters off a decision loss to Michael Chiesa. Nolan, 8-5, carries his own skid into the night.

The main event features Natalia Silva against Wang Cong, but the Talbott-Figueiredo pairing is the one that could reshape the bantamweight ladder. A win puts Talbott firmly in the top-15 conversation and arguably knocks on the top-10 door. A loss, and the Cejudo result starts looking like an outlier. We find out which story is true in Salt Lake City.