Preview: UFC 317 ‘Topuria vs. Oliveira’

Bantamweights

Felipe Lima (14-1, 2-0 UFC) vs. Payton Talbott (9-1, 3-1 UFC)

BETTING ODDS: Lima (-205), Talbott (+170)

The UFC apparently had different ideas in mind for these top bantamweight prospects, but with other plans falling through or never materializing, things have wound up with this crucially important bout. Talbott will likely be fine in the long run, but he could use a win to regain the momentum he clearly lost in January. A standout on the 2023 edition of Dana White’s Contender Series, Talbott looked like more of a long-term prospect worth watching rather than an immediate concern. He clearly had the right ideas, building his game around pace and pressure, but gave up enough ground defensively that he figured to have some bumps along the way. Then Talbott hit the UFC roster and quickly overachieved.

A late submission win over Nick Aguirre went about as expected, but Talbott ran through Cameron Saaiman and Yanis Ghemmouri to get his proverbial hype train rolling at full speed heading into 2025. Raoni Barcelos figured to be a solid veteran test that Talbott could overcome, but the Brazilian instead handed him the first loss of his career in one-sided fashion. It was a clearly unexpected result, as evidenced by how overheated the betting line was in making Talbott a massive favorite. Barcelos just embraced the grind and stayed ahead of Talbott at almost every opportunity, breaking his usual approach of scrambling his way to his feet and back into a fast-paced fight. It was the type of showing that suggests Talbott could use a step back to show what he has learned from the defeat in charging his way up the ladder, but instead, he gets one of the most impressive newcomers of 2024 in Lima.



A Brazilian based out of Sweden, Lima looked UFC-ready based on some strong regional wins when the promotion picked him up a little more than a year ago. However, it was still a shock to see him step up on late notice against featherweight bruiser Muhammad Naimov and walk away with a submission victory, outpacing the Tajikistan native and generally proving himself to be an effective agent of chaos. That immediately made “Jungle Boy” someone worth watching from an entertainment perspective, but his next performance—another late-notice featherweight affair, this time against Miles Johns—suggested he might have contender-level upside, as he suddenly showed a more patient approach to pick apart and outwork the former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion without much trouble.

There are some minor questions for Lima, as the Johns performance was a bit out of character, and while he’s a natural bantamweight, this does mark his first weight cut in the UFC while having a pace-heavy approach. The Brazilian has looked sharp enough that there’s not much of a case to pick against him here, even with the Talbott’s natural talent. The pick is Lima via decision.

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Topuria vs. Oliveira
Pantoja vs. Kara-France
Van vs. Royval
Moicano vs. Dariush
Lima vs. Talbott
The Prelims