Henry Cejudo 'really surprised' UFC decided to match up Payton Talbott with Felipe Lima
Henry Cejudo sees Felipe Lima as a stern test for Payton Talbott's bounce-back fight.
Talbott (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) will look to rebound from his first-career loss when he takes on the streaking Lima (14-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) in Saturday's UFC 317 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) main card opener at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Talbott said during Wednesday's media day that he didn't think the UFC originally wanted to match him up with Lima, as he only got news of his opponent less than three weeks ago. Cejudo admits he didn't expect Lima for Talbott next.
"People are very high on Lima," Cejudo said on his "Pound 4 Pound" podcast with Kamaru Usman. "He's only lost his debut. He's been on a 14-fight win streak since losing. I'm really surprised the UFC is actually putting this matchup together. Payton Talbott at one point was the hottest prospect at 135 pounds because he's just different – he's got the hair, he's got the whole circle (tattoo), he's finishing people. But then his last fight, it just took a turn. It took a turn for the worse, and he ended up getting pretty much dominated by (Raoni) Barcelos. I think a lot of people are seeing that a little bit different."
Talbott is a slight underdog against Lima, which Cejudo finds surprising – especially with how Talbott was running through people before losing to Raoni Barcelos.
"It was a lot of what happened to 'Robocop' (Gregory Rodrigues) somewhat happened to Talbott, but I just feel like people are really sleeping on Payton," Cejudo continued. "The only reason why I say that is because he is the underdog with Felipe. That's something to be said. How do you go from being the biggest prospect, and now they're giving you a matchup where you're not the favorite?"
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How to watch UFC 317: TV channel and live stream for Topuria vs Oliveira today
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Fight Outcome Best UFC 317 Odds Bookmaker Kai Kara-France William Hill Alexandre Pantoja 10bet Kara-France will look to land the win via striking, but Pantoja has proven that he has the ability to submit the division's best strikers, as he did last time out against Kai Asakura. And the New Zealander's losses to Brandon Moreno and Brandon Royval – the latter of whom has been beaten twice by Pantoja in recent years – show that he is susceptible to counters from the division's more technical fighters, which could well be the case again this weekend. Pantoja has won 11 of his fights via submission and 10 via decision, with the remaining eight coming via KO or TKO. In terms of the method of victory, bookies have Pantoja to win by decision as 'most likely' at 15/8, but the better option may be on a submission win for the champ. UFC 317 prediction 2: Alexandre Pantoja to beat Kai Kara-France via submission - 11/5 Bet365 NetBet, one of the UFC's official betting partners, are currently giving away a free UFC bet as part of their sign up offer. New customers can currently bank £20 in free bets and 25 free spins from NetBet when they sign up, deposit a minimum of £10 and then wager £10 or more at odds of evens or greater on the sportsbook. Once the qualifying bets has been settled, NetBet will credit punters with £20 in free bets, broken up into the following denominations: 1 x £5 bet builder (any sport, min odds 1.1) 1 x £5 acca (any sports, min 3 legs, min odds 2.0 per leg) 1 x £5 horse racing free bet (min odds 1.1) 1 x £5 UFC free bet (min odds 1.1) NetBet are also giving away £2000 if anyone can predict the outcome of five fights at UFC 317, while there's the opportunity to boost the winnings on any UFC accumulators by as much as 50 per cent with the UFC acca boost. Bettors should always practice responsible gambling. When using gambling sites be aware that sports betting can be addictive. Please take steps to remain in control of your time and budget. The same applies whether you're using new betting sites, slot sites, casino sites, casino apps, betting apps, or any other gambling medium. Even the most knowledgeable punter can lose a bet, so always stick to a budget and never chase your losses. It's particularly important not to get carried away by any free bets or casino offers you might receive, both of which are available in abundance on gambling sites, but must be approached with caution. You can stay in control by making use of the responsible gambling tools offered, such as deposit limits, loss limits, self-exclusion and time-outs. 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