Athletes
Established Vs Emerging
Brandon Royval And Tatsuro Taira Square Off This Saturday In A Battle Between Experience And Potential
In the world of mixed martial arts, the UFC rankings are a fierce proving ground. The rankings are not just a representation of skill, but a measurement of how far an athlete can go in their pursuit of being world champion. Typically, it takes multiple Top 15 wins for a fighter to threaten for or earn a title opportunity. This weekend, Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira headline UFC Vegas 98 in a fascinating matchup between a perennial top contender and former title challenger in Royval, and an undefeated rising contender in Taira, who has climbed to a potential title eliminator rather quickly.
The No. 1 spot in the flyweight division is up for grabs, and anytime a new face gets an opportunity, it becomes very intriguing. Between fighters ranked Nos. 10-15 and the unranked, there is a skill gap; however, once you get into the top five, the difference becomes more evident.
Royval has fought elite competition since he has been in the UFC. He currently has wins over No. 2, No. 4, No. 7, No. 10, and No. 15 in the flyweight division, and a win over Taira would put him in a good place for another chance at the belt.
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Taira entered the top five after his last outing, a win over Alex Perez. Since he signed with the UFC in early 2022, there is a short list of bouts that share similar significance in terms of both the implications on the line and the fighters’ resumes, on both sides.
Let’s look at some fights from the past two years that are like Royval vs Taira. While selecting these, I focused on matchups where undefeated or one loss fighters made a jump in competition, facing a veteran who was either a former title challenger or a current top five athlete in their weight class.
Gilbert Burns vs Khamzat Chimaev
Back in April 2022 at UFC 273, Gilbert Burns and Khamzat Chimaev went to war. At the time, Burns was No. 2 in the welterweight division while Chimaev was No. 11. It was a huge jump in competition for Chimaev, who was coming off a submission win over Li Jingliang. At the time, Chimaev ran through nearly all his competition, but that changed against “Durinho.”
Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Royval vs Taira
Although it was a showdown between two elite grapplers, they exchanged on the feet for most of the fight, both landing over 100 strikes. In what was one of the most entertaining fights of the year, Chimaev ended up getting the unanimous decision win, and if 170 pounds was more doable, this win likely would have propelled him to a title shot already.
Alex Pereira vs Sean Strickland
Alex Pereira | Top Finishes
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Alex Pereira | Top Finishes
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Everyone, by now, has witnessed the greatness of Alex Pereira. His current run in the UFC is nothing short of historic, and it’s been a sprint. “Poatan” quickly went 2-0 after signing with the promotion in September of 2021. In less than a year, he found himself facing off against Sean Strickland, who, at the time, was the No. 4 middleweight in the world, while Pereira was unranked.
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At the time, Pereira’s MMA skillset was still relatively unknown and his history with the champion at the time - Israel Adesanya - made the matchup against Strickland exciting. Pereira made quick work of Strickland, knocking him out with his signature left hook, which led to a championship opportunity his next time out.
Josh Emmett vs Ilia Topuria
The current featherweight champion, Ilia Topuria stands undefeated at 15-0 (7-0 in UFC). He entered the scene in 2020 as a top prospect and he has certainly delivered. Topuria has finished five of his seven fights in the UFC and his jump in competition was Josh Emmett.
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Emmett had just lost to Yair Rodriguez for the interim title and was No. 5 at the time, while Topuria was No. 9. Through five rounds, Topuria proved to be a level above on the way to a dominant unanimous decision victory. His boxing combinations, defensive prowess, and footwork were all too much to handle for a very game Emmett, but it was the new generation on the winning side.
Dustin Poirier vs Benoit Saint Denis
Full Fight | Dustin Poirier vs Benoît Saint Denis
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Full Fight | Dustin Poirier vs Benoît Saint Denis
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Dustin Poirier is one of the most accomplished athletes in UFC history. He’s fought for the belt three times and held the interim title; some would argue that he is the best fighter to never hold the undisputed championship. At UFC 299, Poirier took on rising contender Benoit Saint Denis, putting his No. 3 ranking on the line.
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The Frenchman lost his UFC debut, but followed that up with five straight finishes to earn the opportunity against Poirier. Saint Denis brought the pressure early, trying to smother Poirier with grappling. Ultimately, his aggression got him in trouble and Poirier scored a vicious knockout in the second round. This time, the veteran’s experience was the difference.
Cory Sandhagen vs Umar Nurmagomedov
At 18-0, Umar Nurmagomedov is one of the most promising contenders the sport has ever seen. The Dagestani product is the cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov but has his own way of getting it done in the Octagon. He went 5-0 with three finishes to begin his UFC career and by doing this, some fighters in the bantamweight rankings were reluctant to take a fight with him.
For his sixth fight in the Octagon, it was a major jump in competition against No.2 ranked Cory Sandhagen, who has fought for the interim belt and proven to be an elite all-around martial artist. Nurmagomedov hadn’t seen ranked competition before fighting Sandhagen this past August, but you could not tell. He went on to win a unanimous decision over five rounds, another instance where the newcomer projected himself into the championship picture.
Putting It All Together
Each fighter’s journey is unique. While Royval and Taira have accomplished different things along their respective paths, their upcoming fight showcases the unpredictability of this sport. Recently, history has shown that the new contender breaks through more often than not in these matchups, but not every time. Just ask Poirier.
Every fight is a new chapter, and regardless of their paths, all fighters step into the Octagon with a chance to add to or redefine their legacies. On Saturday, Royval is looking to defend his territory at the top and Taira aims to emerge as the newest threat to Alexandre Pantoja.
UFC Fight Night: Royval vs Taira took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 12, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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