Peyton Talbot is exuding a new level of confidence ahead of his upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship bout.
Talbot (8-0) will face French prospect Iannis Ghemri (12-2) at UFC 303 on June 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Talbot has always exuded an aura of ultra-stoic confidence, and that continued on Saturday. This time, however, Talbot went so far as to actually create a game plan for Ghemri to defeat him.
Talbot advised Gemmori to throw with volume so he can cut the base with his leg kicks and land the ball. Talbot also warned the “Desert Warrior” not to slow down.
“If you’re listening, the key to success for Giannis Ghemmouri is to take me off my feet to beat me,” Talbot said on his YouTube channel. “Just kick as hard as you can, and that will help you. Kick more than one at a time. I don’t want to see a slow-paced fight. If you only kick one or two, it’s hard to land a counter. Maybe it’s because you’re listening in a foreign language. Get your kicks quick. Good luck, Giannis, and I’m looking forward to working with you tonight.”
Talbot has won seven of his eight professional fights, including two in the UFC. The unbeaten prospect is most recently coming off a knockout of fellow prospect Cameron Syman in March.
Meanwhile, Gemli’s Octagon debut ended in a controversial stoppage loss to fellow Frenchman William Gomis at UFC Paris in September 2023. Gemli had lost the first two rounds on all scorecards when he called a low blow on Gomis’ kick in the third round. Referee Loic Pora did not agree and urged Gemli to keep fighting, awarding him a TKO loss when he refused. Pora’s decision was upheld on review.
Talbot believes Gomis’ kick hit Gemmori’s lower abdomen, well above the cup. Talbot also described Gemmori as a “quitter.” Talbot plans to target Gemmori’s lower abdomen and neutralize his kicking game with a high volume of kicks.
“He got kicked in a little bit of a weak spot here, but I thought it was a kick to the groin,” Talbot said. “He took his time, I told the ref, he’s kind of a resigned guy… It’s obviously not a kick to the groin, it’s to the abdomen. It’s still not comfortable. It’s well above the cup. The key to success is a kick to the abdomen, so that’s what I’m going to go for. For me the key is just to hit him as hard as I can, drown him in my strikes and close down his quick, flexible kicks.”
