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UFC Vegas 82: Brendan Allen vs. Paul Craig continues on the main card with a fight in the bantamweight division between promotional newcomer Payton Talbott and Nick Aguirre. Talbott is an undefeated prospect who has won all six of his professional bouts coming into his debut.
Meanwhile, Aguirre put his undefeated record on the line when he took on Dan Argueta on short notice, which he ultimately lost as he comes into his second fight inside the octagon. Therefore, check out our UFC odds series for our Talbott-Aguirre prediction and pick.
Payton Talbott (6-0) was able to secure his contract after putting on an eye-opening performance in this season of the Contender Series against Tracy Cortez's younger brother, Junior Cortez. He made such a good first impression that he's already making his UFC debut when he takes on Nick Aguirre this weekend at UFC Vegas 82.
Nick Aguirre (7-1) put his undefeated record on the line when he stepped in on short notice to take on Dan Argueta, who ultimately was too much for him. Now that Aguirre has a full fight camp, he hopes that he is able to show the best version of himself when he gets to go in there with surging prospect Payton Talbott this Saturday live at the UFC Apex.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC Vegas 82 Odds: Payton Talbott-Nick Aguirre Odds
Payton Talbott: -750
Nick Aguirre: +525
Over 1.5 Rounds: -215
Under 1.5 Rounds: +165
How to Watch Payton Talbott vs. Nick Aguirre
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 5:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. PT (Main Card)
Why Payton Talbott Will Win
Article Continues Below
Highly touted prospect Payton Talbott makes his UFC debut after securing his contract for this season of the Contender Series. He was able to dominate women's flyweight contender Tracy Cortez's brother Junior Cortez in all facets of the fight. He impressed Dana White and the UFC brass so much that they gave him his debut just a few months later.
Talbott does his best work on the feet in space where he can utilize his long-range attacks and his movement to throw off his opponent's timing. He also has some good grappling abilities to take down his opponents but to also scramble back to his feet. With an opponent like Nick Aguirre, Talbott should be able to keep this fight standing, where he should have a sizable advantage to the point where he could potentially land the knockout to get his first UFC win.
Why Nick Aguirre Will Win
Nick Aguirre put his undefeated record on the line when he stepped in on very short notice up a weight class in the featherweight division to take on Dan Argueta. Unfortunately, the grappling of Argueta was deemed too much for Aguirre, and he dropped the decision in the end.
The good thing for Aguirre in this matchup is that, if anyone were to initiate the grappling, it would be on his terms. Talbott wants to keep this fight on the feet and at his pace, but Aguirre will need to make this an ugly and gritty fight if he wants to finally get the first win of his UFC career.
If Aguirre can make Talbott work, whether it's by being the aggressor making Talbott work off his back foot or defending takedowns so that he can start to tire as the fight progresses, he can take over late and potentially get the win.
Final Payton Talbott-Nick Aguirre Prediction & Pick
Expect these two to throw down come Saturday night at the Apex. Payton Talbott on the Contender Series looked like a very exciting prospect to watch out for.
He has the style of fighting that the fans will love to watch, and those that do not know about him certainly will after Saturday's performance. The way he is able to strike coming forward with his hands down and still beat his opponents to the punch is honestly remarkable.
As for Nick Aguirre, he will have some tough sledding ahead of him if he thinks he is going to come in there and go toe-to-toe with Talbott on the feet as that will not be the best strategy for him to get his first UFC victory. Also, the way that Talbott was able to defend the takedowns of Cortez leads me to believe he can shrug off the takedowns of Aguirre as well. Ultimately, Talbott will be doing his best work on the feet and at range where he will be coming forward with his hands down hammering Aguirre for the majority of the fight and finishing him towards the end of the fight to get a lopsided unanimous decision victory.
Final Payton Talbott-Nick Aguirre Prediction & Pick: Payton Talbott (-750), Over 1.5 Rounds (-215)
