No man has influenced the world of skateboarding more than Tony Hawk. Nicknamed the “Birdman,” Hawk is arguably the greatest and, without a doubt, the most influential skater. Hawk is a friend of Joe Rogan and a fan of the UFC. Interestingly, UFC bantamweight Payton Talbott has caught his attention.
Talbott is undefeated in professional MMA, 2-0 in the UFC. A skilled all-round fighter, Talbott has finished 7 of his eight fights. Apart from fighting, Talbott has other skills as well. Interestingly, he is also an expert in pole dancing. Nonetheless, Palbott has now received praise for his skating skills from none other than Tony Hawk.
He’s amazing. He’s very proficient. I mean, I see people who’ve just started skating recently and they’re trying to even do kick turn or contemplate going up a ramp. And he’s confidently doing 50/50s. So I’m really impressed.
Tony Hawk via Instagram Stories
Hawk appeared to be a fan of Talbott as he asked the fighter to sign a T-shirt, which he happily did. Before the UFC, Talbott was the bantamweight champion at Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat. In his last fight, Talbott defeated Cameron Saaiman and expressed interest in a fight with Dominick Cruz next.
Talbott’s performance also received praise from Joe Rogan. The bantamweight was not a fan of MMA but became one after the rise of Conor McGregor. Interestingly, his next fight is on the undercard of a McGregor-PPV.
Payton Talbott is scheduled to fight at UFC 303
Conor McGregor has not fought in three years, and fans, casual and hardcore, await his return at UFC 303 against Michael Chandler. Also on the card is an interesting bantamweight matchup between Payton Talbott and Yanis Ghemmouri.
Payton Talbott (Image via: Instagram)The Frenchman Ghemmouri is coming off a loss on his promotional debut at UFC Paris. Nonetheless, the matchup against the Frenchman will be Talbott’s third fight in eight months with the promotion. Since he became an MMA fan due to McGregor, UFC 303 is the right event for Talbott to fight. A McGregor-PPV is a spectacle and will grab a lot of eyeballs.
Despite coming off a loss, Ghemmouri is a dangerous opponent. Before he lost his UFC debut, Ghemmouri had a nine-fight winning streak. Nonetheless, Talbott has opened as a sizeable favorite over the Frenchman. Oddsmakers predict the line will widen as the fight date inches closer. If victorious at UFC 303, the UFC will likely test his mettle with a top-15 opponent or one just outside the rankings.
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