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 Brandon Royval walks to the Octagon in the UFC flyweight championship fight during the UFC 296 event at T-Mobile Arena on December 16, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
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Main Event Spotlight | UFC Fight Night: Royval vs Taira

Get An In-Depth Look At Saturday’s Main Event Between Former Title Challenger Brandon Royval And Undefeated Tatsuro Taira

UFC APEX hosts one of the most intriguing matchups of 2024 when former flyweight title challenger Brandon Royval collides with rising star Tatsuro Taira.

After suffering back-to-back defeats to former champion Brandon Moreno and current 125-pound king Alexandre Pantoja in 2020 and 2021, Royval found a new level, stringing together three consecutive wins to secure a rematch against the reigning champion at UFC 296.

Although Pantoja’s ground control time was the pivotal factor that night, leading to a unanimous decision victory for the champion, “Raw Dawg” showcased his skills by outstriking Pantoja 281 to 126 over the course of 25 minutes.

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Despite the loss, Royval's impressive performance earned him a main event clash with former two-time UFC champion Moreno in February, where he achieved arguably his biggest win to date.

Royval threw a total of 556 strikes and landed 145 significant strikes in five rounds, which is his personal best inside the Octagon and the fourth most landed in a flyweight fight. Ninety-seven of those significant strikes landed to the head, which is the sixth most all-time at 125 pounds.

Brandon Royval Delivers Sensation KO Win In Kansas City | UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs Allen
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Brandon Royval Delivers Sensation KO Win In Kansas City | UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs Allen
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Those two fights aren’t outliers; Royval consistently outstrikes nearly all his opponents. He lands 4.33 strikes per minute, well above the UFC average of 3.46. His +0.91 strike differential also ranks fifth among active flyweights.

Whenever Royval enters the Octagon, it's almost a guarantee the fight will produce fireworks. In his six UFC wins, he’s finished four opponents, including submission victories over Kai Kara-France, Matt Schnell and Tim Elliott, as well as a first-round knockout of Matheus Nicolau. These impressive finishes have earned Royval four performance bonuses, the fifth most of any flyweight in UFC history. His three Fight of the Night bonuses rank second all-time at 125 pounds.

Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Royval vs Taira

On Saturday, Royval will take on a new challenge, the 16-0 Tatsuro Taira. The 24-year-old rising star began his professional career in 2018, competing in his native Japan for four years before signing with the UFC in 2022.

In under three years, Taira has won six straight inside the Octagon, five of those coming at 125 pounds. His five-fight win streak at flyweight is the second longest active streak in the division, behind only the champion.

Tatsuro Taira of Japan punches Alex Perez in a flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 15, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Tatsuro Taira of Japan punches Alex Perez in a flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 15, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

What’s led to most of his success is his grappling. He’s controlled his opponents for 54.5 percent of his total UFC fight time, which is the eighth largest proportion among all active UFC fighters. He’s also earned top position for 51.5 percent of his total fight time, which is the fifth best in the UFC. His 46.7 percent top position at 125 pounds is ranked the best in the flyweight division.

When Taira gets control of his opponents, he doesn’t just hold them there. He currently has the second highest submission attempt average in flyweight history, committing to 2.47 submission attempts per 15 minutes. It’s led to a first-round triangle armbar submission win over Jesus Aguilar and a second round armbar against C.J. Vergara.

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While his grappling is top notch, his striking isn’t far behind. Taira rarely finds himself in trouble, and that’s mainly due to his excellent defense. He absorbs just 1.72 significant strikes per minute, which is the best rate among active flyweights.

Taira’s volume on the feet may not be as high as Royval's, but he still finds himself above the UFC average at 3.56 strikes landed per minute. What’s most impressive is his efficiency on the feet. While Royval lands 4.33 strikes per minute, he’s landing just 36.7 percent of his strikes, whereas Taira lands an exceptional 65.9 percent of his strikes thrown, leading to a +1.86 strike differential.

While the stats suggest Taira is a cleaner and more technical mixed martial artist, Royval’s experience inside the Octagon is unmatched compared to Taira’s. It will be interesting to see how Taira fares against someone of Royval's caliber, and whether “RawDawg” can leverage his experience to get the job done in a five-round main event. It’s a fight that could have huge title implications at 125 pounds and one that you won’t want to miss this Saturday.

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