Tatsuro Taira spoke exclusively to Fighters Only's Paul Browne ahead of his return at UFC Vegas 108 this Saturday.
Tatsuro Taira is a man on a mission heading into this weekend.
Taira (16-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) will look to bounce back when he faces undefeated prospect Hyun Sung Park (10-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in a five-round main event Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The bout marks Taira’s first appearance since suffering the first loss of his UFC career last October, when he was defeated by former flyweight title challenger Brandon Royval.
After signing with the UFC in 2022, Taira racked up an impressive six-fight win streak, including four stoppage victories and four Performance of the Night bonuses. Although the Royval matchup was a clear jump in competition for the Okinawan standout, Taira has no intention of letting that setback derail his progression as a rising contender in the division.
“ I want to accept my defeat,” Taira responds gracefully when asked about his split-decision loss to Royval. “I was disappointed in myself for losing. It was a good fight for the fans, but it was a tough first loss. I was very disappointed with myself. But at the same time, all the people around me, the fans, gave me a lot of heartwarming supportive words, praises as well. So that really helped me. And getting back to work and focusing on my training really helped me to recover mentally.”
A New Challenge
Taira was originally slated to face Amir Albazi (17-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) this Saturday, but the Iraqi contender withdrew earlier this week due to injury. In stepped Road to UFC winner Hyun Sung Park, who had been preparing for a bout against former title challenger Steve Erceg at the same venue just one week later. When the opportunity to face Taira arose, Park didn’t hesitate—and neither did Taira, who quickly agreed to the new matchup.
“When the name of Park came up, I immediately said straight ‘OK.’” The 25-year-old says. “It's true that his finishing is a great weapon, but really, that just makes this fight more exciting. That was OK, hearing Park's name, I was like, ‘okay, I'll take that.’ It was an easy decision for me. I was ready to take any name as the opponent. Park, obviously, is a great finisher. But being in this position in the top ranks and to be able to stay in the top in the UFC, you just need to take these fights and keep winning. That's the only thing you can do.”
Park has made a thrilling entrance into the UFC, earning three consecutive stoppage victories over Seung Guk Choi, Shannon Ross, and Carlos Hernandez. While he’s not yet ranked, the South Korean standout is undeniably one of the most promising and entertaining prospects in the flyweight division.
“Both of them are really well-rounded fighters,” Taira responds when asked what Park brings to the table that separates him from the man he is replacing this weekend. “They both have very good wrestling and jiu-jitsu. I think Park is more of a striker. I think there's a slight difference in style. That's what I think. I'd say overall they're both highly skilled, well-rounded. I think Amir would be more wrestling-heavy when it comes to grappling, whereas Park is more dangerous on the feet. So a slight difference there, but both are very well-rounded.”
Flyweight Division Heating Up
The flyweight division took center stage at UFC 317 last month, where champion Alexandre Pantoja successfully defended his title by submitting Kai Kara-France. On the same card, Joshua Van and Brandon Royval delivered a Fight of the Year contender that had fans on the edge of their seats. Van’s impressive performance that night earned him the next shot at Pantoja’s belt. While “The Fearless” has experienced a meteoric rise since joining the UFC just two years ago, Taira believes that Pantoja’s world-class grappling could be a level too high for the 23-year-old standout from Myanmar.
“I’m very excited for that fight,” the Japanese star admits. “Obviously, Joshua Van has so much momentum. But we'll see how the champ Pantoja stops him. I'm seeing it that the jiu-jitsu skill set of Pantoja would be able to stop Van.”
