Cameron Saaiman vs. Payton Talbott Added to UFC on ESPN 53 Card

A clash between two promising bantamweight prospects has been added to March 23’s UFC on ESPN 53, which is set to go down at the Apex in Las Vegas.

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.