Of course, not getting a finish left Talbott feeling like he performed “a little bit sloppy.” Nonetheless, he told UFC reporter Laura Sanko he hoped to bring a “change of pace” to mixed martial arts and expected people his age to relate to him as he grew in the sport.
In his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Craig three months later, Talbott faced some adversity from Nick Aguirre. However, after the first round, Talbott poured it on his opponent and, before the third round, motioned to Aguirre that he knew he was breaking. A minute into the final frame, Talbott strung together some strikes, which forced Aguirre to shoot for a takedown. Talbott reversed the position before sinking in a rear-naked choke.
He once again lamented his “sloppy” start before “waking up” in the second and third rounds. He also poured some water on his first career submission win, calling chokes “kind of boring” compared with a big strike. That said, it was yet another impressive performance to tally to his record.
Talbott’s biggest test came in a fight between prospects as he faced the 23-year-old Saaiman at UFC Fight Night: Namajuans vs Ribas. Despite being a few years’ Saaiman’s senior, the South African had three UFC wins under his belt.