Tatsuro Taira left no doubt that he’s still a major threat in the UFC’s flyweight division.
Returning to the cage for the first time since suffering his first professional loss against Brandon Royval last October, the Japanese standout delivered a clinical performance against previously undefeated HyunSung Park. Fighting in his third straight main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Taira (17-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) showed patience before locking in a second-round submission just over a minute in.
Originally slated to face Amir Albazi, Taira remained on the card after Albazi withdrew due to injury. Park (10-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) stepped in on short notice, but despite the last-minute change, Taira stayed composed and capitalized on the opportunity to shine.
The first round saw Taira finding his range, eventually landing two heavy right hands that sent Park crashing to the canvas. Although the South Korean managed to defend and survive the round, momentum was clearly on Taira’s side.
In the second frame, Taira wasted no time. He charged forward, secured a dominant takedown, and quickly took the back. From there, he applied a vicious face crank that forced Park to tap at 1:06 of Round 2—marking the first loss of Park’s professional career.
The win was a crucial bounce-back after Taira’s narrow split-decision defeat to Brandon Royval last October—a Fight of the Night performance that could have gone either way. Now, with Park’s undefeated record snapped and another finish added to his résumé, Taira looks ready to re-enter the title picture with renewed confidence and momentum.
Full UFC Vegas 108 Results
- Tatsuro Taira defeated HyunSung Park via submission (face crank) – Round 2, 1:06
- Chris Duncan defeated Mateusz Rebecki via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Esteban Ribovics defeated Elves Brener via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
- Neil Magny defeated Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:39
- Kevin Vallejos defeated Danny Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
- Rinya Nakamura defeated Nathan Fletcher via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 1:02
- Rodolfo Vieira defeated Tresean Gore via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
- Andrey Pulyaev defeated Nick Klein via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 1:31
- Austin Bashi defeated John Yannis via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:39
- Rafael Estevam defeated Felipe Bunes via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Piera Rodriguez defeated Ketlen Souza via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
