Athletes
Tatsuro Taira Preps For A Dogfight
He's Confident He'll Be A Flyweight Champion, But Not Before He Finishes Brandon Royval In The October 12 Main Event
As one of only seven Japanese fighters on the current UFC roster, Tatsuro Taira knows that a nation is watching his every move as he tries to put his nation back on the international map when it comes to mixed martial arts. That’s a lot to put on the shoulders of a 24-year-old, and as he approaches his Saturday main event clash with Brandon Royval, he admits that it wasn’t always easy to carry that weight.
“I'm really happy to be a representative of Japan, but, at the beginning, it was kind of too much for me,” Taira said. “But I'm getting used to that. And recently I felt like, yeah, I am a representative of Japan on the UFC stage and that's giving me a lot of power.”
Tatsuro Taira Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Royval vs Taira
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Tatsuro Taira Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Royval vs Taira
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You can almost see his confidence growing with each fight, and as he now sits with a perfect 16-0 record with six of those wins coming in the Octagon, the time for him to shine is now. It’s a perfect storm of talent and confidence meeting opportunity, because as the fifth-ranked flyweight in the world, about to face the number one ranked 125-pounder, he could be looking at a shot at the division’s champion – Alexandre Pantoja – should he beat Royval at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas.
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That’s precisely the plan.
“I’m going to finish him, and then I'm going to show to the world and the UFC that the next title shot is going to be me.”
You wouldn’t have heard these words out of the Okinawa native’s mouth when he debuted back in May of 2022 with a three-round decision win over Carlos Candelario, but as the level of competition rose and the stakes got higher, Taira delivered. This was never more evident than in June, when he picked up his third Performance of the Night bonus for a second-round stoppage of Alex Perez. And while Perez was forced out of the bout due to a knee injury, it was Taira showing he could hang with a legit contender before the end came.
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“I was prepared for his calf kick and takedown defense,” said Taira of the Perez fight. “But, for us, from the beginning to the end, I could fight with my real power and real skillset. I learned a lot from that fight because of the preparation and then the fight itself.”
Now it’s another former world title challenger in Royval, albeit one with a completely different style than Perez. Colorado’s “RawDawg” is all chaos all the time, which is a polar opposite to Perez, and to Taira, as well. But Taira hasn’t been rattled in six UFC fights thus far, and he doesn’t think he’ll be getting those feelings this weekend, either.
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“I watched his fight footage and felt like he is very aggressive,” said Taira, who has also trained with Royval at various times. “So I need to keep my pace and I don't want to let him get his pace.”
In other words, he’s not shy about saying the best offense is a good defense, so in his perfect world, he shuts down Royval’s offense, then implements his own, picks up the win and puts his name in the hat for a title shot. Sounds simple. But Taira knows it probably won’t be, so he’s planned accordingly.
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“I decided it's going to be a dogfight until the end.”
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!