13 things about UFC fighter Payton Talbott from Reno, Nevada

Payton Anthony Talbott is an American professional mixed martial artist born in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States and raised in Reno, Nevada. He is of African American and Choctaw descent.

BIOGRAPHY

Talbott is an alumnus of Reno High School and the University of Nevada, which are both in Reno. His mother LaDawn Nesbitt Talbott is a plastic surgeon and a professional bikini competitor.

Aside from MMA, Payton is also passionate about music, skateboarding, climbing, cliff jumping and pole dancing. He plays several instruments including the guitar, the trombone and the violin.

Currently, Payton is signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which is based in Las Vegas. Here are 13 more things about him:

1. He played football and wrestled competitively before becoming an MMA fighter.
2. Before joining the UFC, he competed in FirePower and Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat.
3. He has one sister and three brothers.
4. He is 5’10” tall and he competes in the bantamweight division.
5. He holds a professional MMA record of 10 wins and 1 loss.
6. In 2017, he started training in MMA at the Reno Academy of Combat.
7. From 2018 to 2021, he defeated all of his five amateur MMA opponents in the King of the Cage namely Ernesto Villegas, Joseph Lee, Taylor Cuisnot, Cameron Sandoval and Alex Gamez.
8. On November 27, 2021, he made his professional MMA debut.
9. In 2022, he graduated from the University of Nevada with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in music.
10. On August 8, 2023, he defeated Reyes Cortez Jr. via unanimous decision at “Dana White’s Contender Series 57” in Enterprise, Nevada.
11. On November 18, 2023, he made his UFC debut.
12. In June 2024, he met skateboard company Birdhouse owner Tony Hawk.
13. On September 9, 2024, he turned 26.

TIMELINE

From 2023 to 2025, Talbott fought five UFC opponents. Here are the results:

2023

• On November 18, 2023, he submitted Nick Aguirre at “UFC Fight Night 232” in Enterprise.

2024

• On March 23, 2024, he defeated Cameron Saaiman at “UFC on ESPN 53” in Enterprise.
• On June 29, 2024, he knocked out Yanis Ghemmouri at “UFC 303” in Las Vegas.

2025

• On January 18, 2025, he lost to Raoni Barcelos via unanimous decision at “UFC 311” in Inglewood, California, USA.
• On June 28, 2025, he defeated Felipe Lima via unanimous decision at “UFC 317” in Paradise, Nevada.