Posted at 11:45 AM EST. Odds subject to change.

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Payton Talbott defeats Cameron Saaiman

Best Odds: -150 at BET365

11:15 PM EST. One of the most exciting bouts of this weekend's UFC Fight Night is between two up and coming Bantamweights. Payton Talbott enters the octagon at 7-0, 1-0 in the UFC, and with an array of advantages we really like against his competition tonight. His opponent, 23 year old Cameron Saaiman, was once thought of with as much hype as the aforementioned Talbott, but the UFC appears to be putting him to the test in this case.

The 5'8" South African has an amazing gas tank and a dynamic arsenal of attacks, and if this were any other green fighter he was facing, we might look his way. As young as he is, his future is still very bright, but we got a glimpse of his weaknesses in his recent loss against Christian Rodriguez. On the one hand, it's not a bad loss. We've seen Rodriguez step up and win as a big underdog before, like his decision victory over Raul Rosas Jr. last April. He was also 4 pounds overweight when he fought Saaiman and since the win, Rodriguez went up a weight class. Still, the bigger, stronger, more aggressive fighter, and therefore the more effective striker, was clearly Rodriguez. He caused more damage and looked more well-rounded throughout the contest, while Saaiman didn't look like he could hang against a more experienced opponent. Saaiman also turned to takedowns to try and flip the fight in his favor, but failed to land a single one (0-5). Rodriguez ended up taking down Saaiman twice, which led to 3+ minutes of control time. 

For Saaiman, the loss was probably eye-opening. Sure, he was 3-0 in the UFC leading up to that clash, but his previous UFC opponents were only 2-5 combined. It was a big step-up in competition and his biggest challenge to date. Saaiman has actually never faced an opponent with a winning record, unlike his foe tonight.

The UFC is full of exciting new talent, but Payton Talbott could make the case that he's near the top of that category. Unlike Saaiman, Talbott has only fought tough competition. Every one of his opponents had a winning record, and he correspondingly turned every one of them into minced meat. Talbott is a confident, in your face striker, who knows how to keep distance and then violate it just as quickly. He's also extremely good at defending takedowns, having prevented 24 out of 27 in his career (an 88% rate). Tall (5'10"), quick on his feet, and showing virtually no weaknesses in his UFC career thus far, he'll own a 3-inch reach advantage on Saturday, something that'll only make life more difficult for the shorter, less-abled striker before him. Talbott even proved he can handle a southpaw in his last bout, which he admitted was his biggest challenge yet. He was disappointed with his third round submission victory over Nick Aguirre, a dude who only had one loss (now 7-2) leading up to the fight and considered himself a submission expert (4 submission wins). We love the tenacity, Talbott, but can't say we agree with you. We were very impressed.

Talbott has the demeanor of someone twice his age. Intent on becoming a big name but constantly talking about his training, where he says he loses and loses often, the undefeated American was given a gift from the UFC with this bout. To the casual fan, Saaiman is an incredibly difficult opponent and future contender, and we know the company will still promote him as such. But to Talbott and for the sake of our wallets, we know better. Talbott is bigger, more technically sound, poised, and he rarely makes a mistake. The 23 year old Saaiman always has a chance, but we see another big win for the surging favorite. 

Farley

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