Payton Talbott (7-0) is gearing up to face South Africa’s Cameron Saaiman (9-1) for his sophomore appearance in the Las Vegas-based promotion. The news was first reported by MMA Fighting.
Undefeated as a professional, Talbott earned his Ultimate Fighting Championship contract thanks to a unanimous decision victory against Reyes Cortez Jr. in an appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series in August 2023. The 25-year-old will enter the Octagon against Saaiman on the back of a Round 3 submission victory against Nick Aguirre in his promotional debut back in November.
Meanwhile, Saaiman will look to return to winning ways against Talbott after having his nine-fight undefeated streak snapped following a unanimous decision loss to Christian Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night 230 in October. Prior to his first professional loss, the DWCS alum was on a three-fight tear in the promotion, which included two finishes against the likes of Steven Koslow and Terrence Mitchell.
UFC on ESPN 53 will be headlined by a women’s flyweight matchup pitting No. 8-ranked Amanda Ribas against former strawweight queen Rose Namajunas.