It might seem like a short-notice fight from the outside, but Felipe Lima knew about UFC 317 long before Payton Talbott entered his equation.
Lima (14-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) will kick off Saturday’s UFC 317 main card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, but Talbott (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) wasn’t his original foe.
“They called us, I was already in camp, I knew I was going to fight,” Lima recently told MMA Junkie. “They called me five weeks ago. They called, and I don’t know if I can say, but I will say anyway, (to fight) Jonathan Martinez. He unfortunately got injured, and then we had some trouble finding another opponent. I was on the card five weeks ago. I was training. I was in camp.”
Lima is just excited to reenter the cage and continue the hot streak that’s rolled on for his entire career, with the exception of the loss he turned in during his pro debut in 2015. Lima was one of the promotion’s breakthrough performers in 2024, going 2-0 against Muhammad Naimov and Miles Johns after signing with the promotion as the OKTAGON bantamweight champion.
“Since the beginning of my career, I never said no to anybody,” Lima said. “We said yes to anyone, any time. That’s just the way it is. I’m just fighting for my dream. I’m never going to deny a fight. If they offer, I’m going to say yes. All the fights they’ve been offering us, we’ve said yes to everybody. That’s the way it’s going to be – always.”
Shortly after the Johns fight in December, Lima suffered a broken foot. He needed to take a couple months off from training, but a summer fight was always the plan. He just didn’t know it’d come against a fast-rising star like Talbott, nor on the pay-per-view portion of the UFC’s International Fight Week card.
“They’re going to see that. The UFC is giving me the opportunity for the fight. I’m going to show Saturday night why I’m worthy and why I’m here. I’m here to stay and I can’t wait.”
As a spectator, it’s fun times in the UFC bantamweight division. Lima feels the same enthusiasm as a competitor, watching champion Merab Dvalishvili and others raise the bar. It’s motivating – and has helped Lima set goals.
“The division is packed,” Lima said. “They have very good names and good fighters, as well. Merab is doing a good job as a champ. Well, you guys are going to see me. It depends on how the opportunity goes, if they give me a ranked guy, that’s the way it is. It’s not easy to get a fight in the rankings. Hopefully after this fight, they give me a ranked guy. That’s probably one year when you’re going to be seeing me in the top 10.”
