"Future title contender" - MMA world reacts as Payton Talbott earns dominant win at UFC 317

Payton Talbott has returned to the win column after defeating Felipe Lima via unanimous decision in a bantamweight bout on the main card of UFC 317.

Talbott suffered the first defeat of his career in his last outing against Raoni Barcelos earlier this year. In that bout, he was controlled on the ground and suffered a unanimous decision defeat. The loss had a significant impact on his hype, and many fans started to question his caliber.

This time around, Talbott showed tremendous improvement in the grappling department by landing higher volume strikes and getting the better of Lima in grappling exchanges. Talbott wound up on top of the Brazilian several times and delivered devastating ground-and-pound strikes.

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The MMA world has reacted to the main card opener, with many fans and experts labeling Talbott as a serious contender in the division. One fan wrote:

"💯 Talbott is good man. This kid is up and coming. Future title contender."

Former two-weight UFC champion Henry Cejudo chimed in by labeling Talbott as "the real deal":

"Payton Talbott just reminded everyone that he’s the real deal 🔥 #UFC317."

Highly impressed by his performance, another fan labeled him as a future champion:

"Payton Talbott looked phenomenal tonight, both of them looked great, but he was another level! I think he'll be a future champion."

Check out more fan reactions below:

Fan reactions [Screenshots courtesy: @ufc on X]