Payton
Talbott believes he has become a more complete fighter during
his Octagon hiatus.

Talbott defeated former
Ultimate Fighting Championship two-division titleholder
Henry
Cejudo in his most recent outing in December. The bantamweight
prospect returns to action at UFC
332 on Oct. 3 after spending much of the year focused on
training while waiting for his next fight.

Payton Talbott explains what changed before facing Deiveson
Figueiredo

Talbott, who faces former flyweight champion Deiveson
Figueiredo on Saturday at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, said
the extended time spent working on his game allowed him to reinvent
aspects of his fighting style.

“Yeah, it was kind of weird,†Talbott told the UFC when asked about
his nine-month hiatus. “This is all still new to me, so I tried to
just stay training and just stay ready. I mean, I trained pretty
much the whole year, and I feel like I kind of reinvented myself a
little bit and went back to my roots, went inward.â€

Talbott explained that his evolution has involved collecting
techniques and lessons while making sure he doesn't lose the
qualities that made him successful in the first place.

“You go and train out of town, and you pick people’s brains and
sometimes you take things from them and implement them into your
game,†Talbott added. “But a lot of the times, the reason you got
where you are is because of you. And so, you just have to correctly
learn how to implement it and not let it fully change you, but just
use the best of what you learn.â€

“I kind of reinvented myself.â€

Payton
Talbott (@PaytonTalbott)
made the most of his time since his last fight and is excited to
test himself against another former champion in Deiveson
Figueiredo. #UFC332

Fight by Fight Preview âž¡ï¸: https://t.co/Sw9Lgv3uJ3 pic.twitter.com/Zk2RhHK9vV

— UFC News (@UFCNews)
September 30, 2026

Ateba
Abega Gautier wears his battle scars with pride.

Gautier is scheduled to face Roman
Kopylov (15-5) in an
Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight bout at UFC
332 on Oct. 3 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The rising
contender understands that physical damage comes with the territory
in combat sports.

Ateba Gautier embraces his battle scars before facing Roman
Kopylov at UFC 332

The Cameroonian believes those concerned with preserving their
appearance might want to reconsider a career in combat sports.
Gautier considers the scars on his face badges of honor.

“Don't fight if you want to stay clean,†Gautier told the UFC. “If
you want to look pretty, don't fight. Because there's always
someone in front of you who wants to look dirty. And he wants you
to look dirty as well. So, I'm not there to look clean. I have
scars on my eyebrows. These are gold… I'll never get rid of them.
So, why are you fighting? To be a model? No, I didn't choose to be
a model. I chose to be a fighter.â€

Gautier (11-1) has finished four of his five UFC opponents so far,
three of them in the first round. Meanwhile, Kopylov is 7-5 in the
UFC and has shared the Octagon with several established
middleweights. The Russian is coming off a victory over Marco
Tulio, rebounding from consecutive losses to Paulo Costa
and Gregory
Rodrigues.

“If you want to look pretty, don’t be a
fighter.â€

Ateba Gautier (@AtebaGautierMMA) is embracing the fire as he steps
up to fight Roman
Kopylov and hopes to make it a “dirty” fight on October 3.
#UFC332

Fight by Fight Preview âž¡ï¸: https://t.co/Sw9Lgv3uJ3 pic.twitter.com/cXiKsnR7rY

— UFC News (@UFCNews)
September 30, 2026

Natalia
Silva never stopped believing in herself, even when she
considered walking away from mixed martial arts.

Silva (20-5) is scheduled to face Cong Wang
(10-1) for the vacant
Ultimate Fighting Championship women's flyweight title at
UFC
332 on Oct. 3 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Ahead of her
championship bout, Silva reflected on her journey to title
contention and the hardships she has overcome.

Natalia Silva recalls living at her gym before earning UFC 332
title shot

Silva credits her perseverance and belief in herself with helping
her overcome hardships throughout her career. She recently revealed
that she once lived at her gym and slept on a physical therapy bed.
The Brazilian admitted there were several occasions when she
considered quitting mixed martial arts but credits her faith and
the people around her with helping her continue.

“I think what brought me here was believing in myself and never
quitting and continuing regardless of what happens,†Silva told the
UFC. “No matter what I did in my life and what I was able to
accomplish, it was always a very tough journey. I have gone through
a lot of challenges. There were moments that I had to live in the
gym. I actually lived in the physical therapy room; I slept in a PT
bed for a while. Things were never easy. And in many moments, I
thought of giving up, of quitting… Always, God has strengthened me,
surrounded me with people with a kind word for me.â€

Silva is undefeated in eight UFC appearances, with her last three
victories coming against Jessica
Andrade, Alexa
Grasso and Rose
Namajunas. Meanwhile, Wang is riding a four-fight winning
streak and is coming off a victory over Tracy
Cortez.

“I am going to get that belt.â€

Natalia
Silva (@nataliasilvaufc)
has embraced every part of her journey as she prepares for her
first shot at UFC gold on October 3. #UFC332

Fight by Fight Preview âž¡ï¸: https://t.co/Sw9Lgv2WTv pic.twitter.com/ah1pcTYA73

— UFC News (@UFCNews)
September 30, 2026