The old version of me would sit here and give you all my concerns around Payton’s takedown defense. Cite what Roani did to him and point out that Deiveson is a good wrestler. But I’m not the fence rider anymore, my new nickname is “Absolute Ang” and I absolutely think Payton beats the hell out of Figgy. I don’t see a 5’5 Figgy bullying his way to takedowns here. Sure, he’s a former world champion, but that was at a different weight class and when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Payton should dominate here and thats why the UFC has him as the co-main event on CBS.

Payton Talbott

Payton Talbott is a flashy striker with a lot of movement and power. He is massive for the division and fights using that length. He throws out one twos at an incredible pace and then finds the big shots. His aura took a massive hit when he couldn’t defend Raoni Barcelos’ takedowns but we saw improved wrestling in his last fight. He is coming off the fun win over Henry Cejudo

Deiveson Figueiredo

Deiveison Figuerdo is the former flyweight champion of the world who moved up to Bantamweight later in his career. Since moving up to Bantamweight we have seen cardio improvements and a much higher focus on wrestling. He is a well rounded guy who is dangerous everywhere. He has power in his hands, well timed takedowns, a BJJ blackbelt and some dog in him, but at 38 years old he is starting to slow down. He is coming off the submission loss to Song Yadong.