Category Archives: Mmamania.com

McGregor is still fishing for a Mayweather rematch, this time at a higher weight with less rounds.

Is a Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather rematch really in the works? There’s been an uptick of chatter recently regarding the fight, but no clear indication that anyone is close to signing a contract.

What we do have, however, is Conor McGregor’s word that talks are ongoing, to the point where discussions on weight and rounds are being had.

“You know, there is conversations ongoing,” McGregor told Spanish news outlet Marca. “I fought Floyd at 153 pounds, which is a low weight. So he brought me all the way down. It was over 12 rounds. I’d never fought 12 rounds. Now the discussion is: at my weight, higher, heavy weight. 170 pounds. And maybe less rounds. So … I would fancy it.”

As for how he perceives the first fight to have gone?

“I had him bent over!” McGregor declared. “You see me I had him bent over. What more do you want me to do? Do you want me to finish the job while I have him bent over?”

McGregor did look decent through the first couple of rounds against Mayweather, forcing the boxing legend to turn his back at one point so the ref would step in and slow the action down. For his part, Mayweather claims he carried Mac through the fight before turning up the heat his gassed opponent. Both have said a rematch will happen, but neither seems in any rush to make it happen next.

All of this sounds promising, but these days “The Notorious” is in entrepreneurial overdrive. There’s not a weekend where he isn’t out there hawking a new product or Bare Knuckle FC event. He clearly wants to fight … but is under contract with the UFC, who seem in no rush to get him back in the cage. Recent talk of a February fight are already being rebuffed by sources MMAMania.com has spoken to.

Would UFC loan him out for a boxing event at some insane price tag? Maybe, if it means they still get to keep him on a leash with the two fights left on his UFC contract.

Whatever happens, McGregor claims he’s cool with it.

“I don’t need,” he said. “I am so blessed by God. I don’t need nothing. I don’t need. I have, but I’d like a fight.”

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA — American Top Team (ATT)-trained fighters know how to cut over-the-top promos …

Grant Dawson notched a big win at UFC Vegas 98 last night (Sat., Oct. 12, 2024), battering and bloodying Rafa Garcia to score a technical knockout in the second round from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada (watch highlights). Unfortunately, “KGD” got passed over and didn’t receive “Performance of the Night.”

Nevertheless, while Dawson had an excellent finish — his first since 2022 — his post-fight speech with Michael Bisping stole the show.

“There’s one more person I have to thank- my beautiful, beautiful wife,” Dawson said. “I’m telling you the biggest cheat code I have is having the most supportive wife. The way she supports me is literally my favorite thing about her; well, it’s my second favorite thing about her.

“My first favorite thing is she has a dump truck that you can bounce a quarter off of,” he added, going completely off-script.

I will assume you can figure out what a dump truck is.

Dawson’s wife, Elle Dawson, is a professional Atomweight fighter with Invicta. As a result of the funny post-fight promo, she gained some super thirsty Instagram followers — before the “dump truck” line, Elle had 7,250 followers; as of this writing, she has 8,255.

While it’s not an insane number like 40,000, which Ailin Perez gained after her “twerk” win at UFC Paris, it’s significant.

Nevertheless, “KGD” is now on a two-fight win streak since his shocking knockout loss to Bobby Green.

For complete UFC Vegas 98 results, coverage and highlights, click HERE.

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Last night (Sat., Sept. 28, 2024), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned home last night (Sat., Oct. 12, 2024) inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC Vegas 98. In the main event, Flyweight contenders Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira fought to secure a shot at 125-pound gold. That bout was far and away the most important fight respective to the title mix of any division, but the rest of the fights seem to promise action … but sadly didn’t really deliver much on that end either. All told, there really weren’t a ton of other highlights outside of some quick finishes.

Regardless, let’s take a look back over at UFC Vegas 98’s best performances and techniques:

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Royval’s Veteran Win

Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira was the only fight on the card that delivered elite action for more than a couple minutes. The two Flyweight contenders absolutely went to war, demonstrating their skills and strategies at the expense of the other. Round by round, the momentum swung back-and-forth, making for a fight that was both highly competitive and very easy to score.

Sal D’Amato still somehow screwed it up, but that’s to be expected.

Royval’s advantage on the feet took about 90 seconds to materialize. For that opening minute or so, Taira seemed like he might be able to time Royval’s offense with his counter right hand and use kicks to destabilize his stance. As soon as Royval began throwing in combination, however, Taira looked wildly uncomfortable and started getting pieced up.

Fortunately, the Japanese prospect is still a wizard on the floor. His back takes and transitions are genuinely beautiful to watch, and Taira’s back control and response to Royval’s would-be counters was possibly the best I’ve ever seen. He really looked like a master, utterly shutting Royval down on the floor for two of the four rounds.

Like an instant classic, it all came down to the fifth. With a fatigued Taira in front of him, Royval was able to box up his foe and reverse takedowns, putting an exciting stamp on a back-and-forth fight.

Nobody wants to watch Pantoja vs. Royval 3, but as soon as the Brazilian loses his belt, give Royval another shot.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Dawson 2.0?

It’s time to give Grant Dawson another opportunity to climb the Lightweight ranks.

He’s better than these unranked Lightweights, and against Rafa Garcia last night, Dawson was positively violent. He controlled every second of the fight leading into the second, when he landed a vicious elbow that split open Garcia. With a wounded foe in front of him, Dawson advanced into mount and quickly punished his foe for the TKO stoppage.

At 30 years of age, Dawson improves to 10-1-1 in the UFC. Clearly, he’s a very skilled Lightweight, so hopefully this finish helps push him back into relevant match ups.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Sabatini Bounces Back

It wasn’t all that long ago that Pat Sabatini was a top Featherweight prospect, and he just reminded fight fans why. Jonathan Pearce is an excellent wrestler with great physicality, but Sabatini was able to run through him in short fashion.

Sabatini is a genuinely top-notch grappler, one of Featherweight’s best. He struggled with Pearce’s takedown defense for a moment, but he was able to transition onto his back anyway. Once Pearce was trapped in Sabatini’s usual chain of takedowns and top control, he just couldn’t peel Sabatini off him. By the end of the round, Sabatini had taken his back again and locked in the choke.

It’s a hell of a way to snap a two-fight losing streak.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Additional Thoughts

• Ramazan Temirov defeats CJ Vergara via first-round knockout: It’s great to see the debut of a new Flyweight prospect! The division has talent around the globe that has yet to be picked up by the UFC. Temirov had already proved himself in the RIZIN ring, building an impressive 17-2 record at 27 years of age. His debut couldn’t have gone much better: he absolutely steamrolled Vergara, knocking him down roughly three times in the opening round to force referee intervention. The Uzbek has now won ten in a row, and it might be time to fast track him to a ranked opponent.
• Junior Tafa defeats Sean Sharaf via second-round knockout: TOUGHMAN NEVER DIE! Man, this was a throwback Heavyweight fight in the worst way. At times, I was reminded of Kimbo Slice vs. DaDa 5000. Both men entered this fight with about four minutes of conditioning, but at least Sharaf had the excuse of accepting the fight on very short notice. At any rate, the two brawled tiredly for most of the first round, as Tafa’s sharper boxing was pit against Sharaf’s occasional takedowns. Ultimately, boxing won out, as Sharaf grew too tired to wrestle, leaving him vulnerable to a ripping left hook that initiated the finishing sequence.
• Clayton Carpenter defeats Lucas Rocha via second-round submission: Carpenter improved to 2-0 inside the Octagon on the strength of his wrestling and grappling. Rocha’s UFC debut, conversely, went poorly even if his standup looked sharp. Really, the biggest takeaway here for me was Carpenter’s raw size and strength for 125-pounds. He has a great base from which to build, so it’ll be interesting to see how his skills develop as he tries to climb the Flyweight ladder.

For complete UFC Vegas 98 results and play-by-play, click here.

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*** ROYVAL OUTLASTS TAIRA IN FLYWEIGHT WAR – HIGHLIGHTS ***

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was back in Las Vegas, Nevada, TONIGHT (Sat., Oct., 12, 2024) with UFC Vegas 98. The mixed martial arts (MMA) event was streamed LIVE on ESPN+. The main event was a Flyweight contender showdown between Brandon Royval and the undefeated Tatsuro Taira. Our co-main event featured veteran Middleweights Brad Tavares and “The Iron Turtle” Jun Yong Park. Daniel Rodriguez vs. Alex Morono was also on the main card.

UFC Vegas 98’s “Prelims” card was headlined by CJ Vergara vs. Ramazan Temirov. The Prelims also had Niko Price vs. Themba Gorimbo (aka Dwayne Johnson’s favorite fighter). Chris Barnett was supposed to return from a two-year absence, but he withdrew on fight week and was been replaced with debutante Sean Sharaf.

UFC VEGAS 98 START TIME, DATE

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 98 card below, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which begin at 4 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card (also on ESPN+) at 7 p.m. ET.

Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “Royval vs. Taira” Without further delay, see below for the updated UFC Vegas 98 results. (Note: This will go from the top down; therefore, look to the top of the stream for the newest update).

UFC VEGAS 98 QUICK RESULTS

125 lbs.: Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira
185 lbs.: Brad Tavares vs. Jun Yong Park — Park def. Tavares via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
170 lbs.: Chidi Njokuani vs. Jared Gooden — Njokuani def. Gooden via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
155 lbs.: Grant Dawson vs. Rafa Garcia — Dawson def. Garcia via TKO (punches), round 2 (1:42) – HIGHLIGHTS
170 lbs.: Daniel Rodriguez vs. Alex Morono — Rodriguez def. Morono via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
185 lbs.: Josh Fremd vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan This fight has been cancelled due to Fremd’s missed weigh-in (full details)
125 lbs.: CJ Vergara vs. Ramazan Temirov — Temirov def. Vergara via TKO (body punch), round 1 (2:04)
145 lbs.: Jonathan Pearce vs. Pat Sabatini — Sabatini def. Pearce via submission (rear naked choke), round 1 (4:06)
170 lbs.: Niko Price vs. Themba Gorimbo — Gorimbo def. Price via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
265 lbs.: Junior Tafa vs. Sean Sharaf — Tafa def. Sharaf via TKO (punches), round 2 (2:15)
115 lbs.: Cory McKenna vs. Julia Polastri — Polastri def. McKenna via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
135 lbs.: Dan Argueta vs. Cody Haddon — Haddon def. Argueta via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
125 lbs.: Clayton Carpenter vs. Lucas Rocha — Carpenter def. Rocha via technical submission (rear naked choke), round 2 (2:12)

UFC VEGAS 98 PHOTO GALLERY

UFC VEGAS 98 ‘Royval Vs. Taira’ PLAY-BY-PLAY

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 98 news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

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One of the biggest Light Heavyweight boxing matches in the sport’s history — Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev — goes down tonight (Sat., Oct. 12, 2024) from inside Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Follow all the incredible action LIVE right here …

As I mentioned in my article about the Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev start time later this afternoon (Sat., Oct. 12, 2024) from inside Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this is a big one.

Indeed, easily one of the grandest fights in the history of the Light Heavyweight division and a glorious boxing trend we’re seeing in that the big-time fighters are getting it all in. Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk? Bananas. Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence? Fantastic. Dmitry Bivol vs Artur Beterbiev?

Heck yea, keep the hits coming …

This late afternoon (for most of you reading this site), streaming live on DAZN, we’ve got all of the four undisputed Light Heavyweight titles on the line when WBA champion (Bivol) takes on IBF, WBC and WBO roost-ruler (Beterbiev). Oh, and did I neglect to mention that they’re both undefeated, and Beterbiev has a perfect 20 knockouts in 20 fights?

Oh, yeah, this is a bout for the ages.

The card will stream LIVE on DAZN (simulcast on the ESPN+ digital network) with the main event starting roughly at 6 p.m. ET (full details here).

The undercard on this special has plenty of cool fights to watch if you want to tune in earlier, too. Let’s focus on undefeated Cruiserweight, Jai Opetaia, for the moment. The holder of the IBF and Rings Cruiserweight strap, the 29-year-old Aussie is a massive favorite against Brit Jack Massey. Massey isn’t exactly a slouch, holder of the European and Commonwealth Cruiserweight titles, as well as the former IBO champ. It speaks volumes to Jai’s ability and future star power that he’s such a runaway on the lines against a legitimate veteran.

BIVOL VS. BETERBIEV QUICK RESULTS:

175 lbs.: Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol
225+ lbs.: Fabio Wardley vs. Frazer Clarke
200 lbs.: Jai Opetaia vs. Jack Massey
160 lbs.: Chris Eubank Jr. def. Kamil Szeremeta — TKO (Rd. 7, 1:50)
126 lbs.: Skye Nicolson def. Raven Chapman — Unanimous decision (99-91, 98-92×2)

BIVOL VS. BETERBIEV LIVE PLAY-BY-PLAY:

Dmitry Bivol (c) vs. Artur Beterbiev (c) for the IBF, WBC, WBO and WBA light heavyweight titles

Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

Round 4:

Round 5:

Round 6:

Round 7:

Round 8:

Round 9:

Round 10:

Round 11:

Round 12:

Final result:

Jai Opetaia vs. Jack Massey for the IBF cruiserweight title

Round 1: Opetaia in tan and blue, Massey in red and black. Opetaia starts with a left to the body. One upstairs, but that one’s partially blocked. Opetaia moving forward aggressively here, putting Massey with his back towards the ropes and the corners. Right upstairs. There’s a right by Massey, but I don’t think it landed clean. Opetaia finding shots with both hands. “One Smack” Jack to the body. A right, too. Opetaia responds to the body.

10-9 Opetaia

Round 2: Opetaia with a counter right and a nice left to the body a couple seconds later. Opetaia feints in and then throws a good left. Two lefts to the gut. One upstairs. Massey clinches to escape the corner. Jai lands a nice short left. Massey has done nothing to earn Opetaia’s respect.

10-9 Opetaia

Round 3: Massey finally lands a nice left as Opetaia missed. Easily the best shot for him so far. Opetaia happy to hand his left, a lot to the body and occasional ones upstairs, too. Opetaia lands downstairs, leaves himself open for a counter right. Opetaia misses, evades a counter, lands a re-counter of his own. Massey stuck on the ropes and getting peppered.

10-9 Opetaia

Round 4: Right by Massey. Opetaia still putting work into the breadbasket. They get head to head, Opetaia to the belly, Massey with a right up top. Massey lands another right. Left from Massey, Opetaia pops in a right. Lovely counter to the gut by the champ, followed by a right hand a short bit later. Rights by both men.

10-9 Opetaia

Round 5: Opetaia backs Massey up to the corner and gets in a right hand. Left lands now. Massey fires off a combo, I think the left hand got in somewhat. Opetaia hits a right of his own. Opetaia right-left. Jab. Massey is bleeding from a number of cuts. Solid right hand by Opetaia stuns Massey. Opetaia with a hook around the guard.

10-9 Opetaia

Round 6:

Round 7:

Round 8:

Round 9:

Round 10:

Round 11:

Round 12:

Final result:

To check out the latest and greatest boxing news and notes be sure to hit up our archive here.

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Think you can figure out which UFC fighter we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out.

We’re back for another day of the SB Nation UFC in-5 daily trivia game, and we’re switching to a system of a new article each day for the game.

We tried using a single article for the game, updated with the latest game each day, but it was creating a bit of an unwieldy experience in the comments. So, we’ll have the current day’s game plus the previous three days in each new article. That way, you can catch up if you miss a day.

Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game!

What we need from you

1. Play the game
2. Share your result in the comments and on social media
3. Provide feedback (Google Form or in comments below)

Today’s UFC in-5 game

Friday’s UFC in-5 game

Thursday’s UFC in-5 game

Wednesday’s UFC in-5 game

The goal of the game is to guess the correct random UFC fighter player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED FIGHTERS. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it. It will be a mix of well-known players and some “that guys” that we haven’t thought of in some time. The game will appear in slot #3 of the MMA Mania layout each morning, with occasional movement later in the day.

After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media.

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Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Brutal left hooks run apparently run in the Pereira family.

Aline Pereira, sister of UFC Light Heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, made her Karate Combat debut opposite Dee Begley on Friday (Oct. 11, 2024) at the Karate Combat 50 event from Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Pereira is a Glory Kickboxing veteran and has fought in the cage as well, but Karate Combat may be the perfect fit for her.

Her debut didn’t last long. In an early exchange in the first round, Pereira landed a right hand then sat her opponent down with a nasty left hook, which apparently runs in the family! She followed up with ground strikes, forcing the referee to intervene and awarding her the first-round knockout win.

The finishing clip can be seen above. After the win, Pereira credited the left hook to “Poatan” himself.

Pereira’s MMA debut hasn’t gotten off to the best start. Since following her brother into the cage, Pereira has come up short in two of her three MMA bouts. A more pure striking competition like Karate Combat with just a bit of grappling mixed in could work out far better for the Brazilian striker.

Insomnia

If a Contenders Series fighter is this popular in their home country, I have to assume they’re making 10x their new UFC contract from sponsorship alone.

The second leg coming through to also trip blue gi is so neat.

I strongly doubt Merab vs. Umar doesn’t happen in early 2025.

This is why I cannot blame fighters who are happy to pick up a boring win. The fan love rarely lasts long anyway!

The idea of a four man, one night Lightweight tourney between Dan Hooker, Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, and Max Holloway is intriguing but would also probably end all their careers immediately.

One of my favorite inclusions in this column in recent memory. Get hype!

Welterweight slugfest alert!

In case you were wondering if Rampage has changed much … from the comments, “This guy really asked ‘do you like black dudes?’ In perfect Vietnamese.”

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Skinny Fabricio Werdum scoring a KO back in the day!

Caio Borralho says sign another Fighting Nerd.

A momentary lapse in focus can result in serious pain.

Random Land

Japan, master of all forms of public transit.

Midnight Music: Hardcore punk, 1980

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

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Earlier this week, PRIDE champion and MMA legend Wanderlei Silva revealed serious health issues and possible CTE symptoms in court documents related to the UFC antitrust lawsuit and possible settlement, which could award fighters $ 375 million if approved by the judge.

Sadly, Silva will not be the last champion revealed to be suffering from his combat sports career. Many athletes are declaring their own support for the settlement, using their health concerns as arguments for the judge to approve the lawsuit and grant them some financial relief.

One of the most eye-raising in the recently revealed (courtesy of John Nash, who has been an invaluable source in tracking the lawsuit) is that of Fabricio Werdum. “Vai Cavalo” is former Heavyweight champion of the world and fought just last year, but Werdum revealed there are serious concerns about his brain health.

Werdum’s statement reads, “While fighting for the UFC, I suffered many concussions. I fear that during my career I have suffered traumatic brain injury (TBI) and am noticing symptoms common with TBI and CTE including irritability, anger, anxiety, insomnia, and memory loss. I have many lesions and scarring in my brain, and I have a cyst that is located centrally within my brain making surgery impossible. I monitor this cyst with biannual exams to determine if it is growing. To date, no treatment for CTE has been found.”

I wouldn’t expect this to be the final unfortunate health update from this series of declarations.

Fabricio Werdum fought on the UFC roster in two separate stints. The first took place between April 2007-October 2008 after his PRIDE career, but a loss to Junior dos Santos saw him crossover into Strikeforce, where Werdum would score the most legendary win of his career over Fedor Emelianenko.

He rejoined the UFC roster in 2012, going on a six-fight win streak that would see him submit Cain Velasquez to capture UFC Heavyweight gold. He remained on the roster until 2020, when Werdum opted not to re-sign with the promotion. Most recently, Werdum suffered a split decision loss to Junior dos Santos in the Gamebred FC promotion on Sept. 8, 2023.

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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to its APEX facility this weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada, for UFC Vegas 98, topped by the 125-pound showdown between Top 5 flyweight contenders Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira. Shortly before that five-round banger on ESPN+, longtime middleweight veteran Brad Tavares goes head-to-head with 185-pound “Iron Turtle” Jun Yong Park!

Event: UFC Vegas 98: “Royval vs. Taira”
Date: Sat., Oct. 12, 2024
Location: UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada
Broadcast: ESPN+
Start Time: 4 p.m. ET Prelims Card | 7 p.m. ET Main Card

UFC Vegas 98 Main Event On ESPN+:

125 lbs.: Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira

UFC Vegas 98 Main Card on ESPN+ (7 p.m. ET):

185 lbs.: Brad Tavares vs. Jun Yong Park
155 lbs.: Grant Dawson vs. Rafa García
115 lbs.: Cory McKenna vs. Julia Polastri
170 lbs.: Daniel Rodriguez vs. Alex Morono
185 lbs.: Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Josh Fremd — CANCELED (details here)

UFC Vegas 98 ‘Prelims’ Card on ESPN+ (4 p.m. ET):

170 lbs.: Chidi Njokuani vs. Jared Gooden
125 lbs.: CJ Vergara vs. Ramazonbek Temirov
145 lbs.: Jonathan Pearce vs. Pat Sabatini
170 lbs.: Themba Gorimbo vs. Niko Price
265 lbs.: Junior Tafa vs. Sean Sharaf (not Chris Barnett)
135 lbs.: Dan Argueta vs. Cody Haddon
125 lbs.: Clayton Carpenter vs. Lucas Rocha

*Fight card, bout order and amount of fights remain subject to change.*

To checkout UFC’s upcoming schedule of events click here.

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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is just one day away from the upcoming UFC Vegas 98 mixed martial arts (MMA) event, which is set to go down tomorrow night (Sat., Oct. 12, 2024) on ESPN+ from inside APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC Vegas 98 features a flyweight main event between Top 5 title contenders Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira, a five-round headliner with major title implications for early 2025 and beyond.

Before we dive into the main and co-main event, which includes the middleweight showdown between Brad Tavares and Jun Yong Park, check out Andrew Richardson’s “X-Factor” breakdown for the rest of the UFC Vegas 98 main card by clicking here. Get all the latest “Royval vs. Taira” odds and betting props courtesy of FanDuel right here. For UFC Vegas 98 live results and play-by-play click here.

125 lbs.: Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira

Brandon “Raw Dog” Royval
Record: 16-7 | Age: 32 | Betting line: +235
Wins: 4 KO/TKO, 9 SUB, 3 DEC | Losses: 1 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 5 DEC
Height: 5’9” | Reach: 68” | Stance: Southpaw
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 4.33 | Striking accuracy: 36%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.42 | Striking Defense: 46%
Takedown Average: 0.47 (60% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 40%
Current Ranking: No. 1 | Last fight: Split decision win over Brandon Moreno

Tatsuro Taira
Record: 16-0 | Age: 24 | Betting line: -290
Wins: 5 KO/TKO, 7 SUB, 4 DEC | Losses: 0 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 0 DEC
Height: 5’7“ | Reach: 70” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 3.56 | Striking accuracy: 65%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 1.70 | Striking Defense: 47%
Takedown Average: 2.35 (47% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 62%
Current Ranking: No. 5 | Last fight: Technical knockout win over Alex Perez

After an electric run through the ranks of Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA), Brandon Royval migrated to the UFC roster in early 2020, pretzeling veteran flyweight Tim Elliott to capture the “W” in his Octagon debut. That victory is part of an impressive 6-3 run with four finishes and he’s only lost to two opponents: current flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja and former 125-pound titleholder Brandon Moreno — though “Raw Dawg” did manage to avenge that loss by splitting “Assassin Baby” earlier this year in Mexico City. Royval is a high-volume striker with dreadful accuracy but what he lacks in precision he more than makes up for in frequency. For this weekend’s contest, where the Coloradan defends his top spot in the division rankings, Royval will have to turn up the heat and overwhelm his opponent, who does not have the ferocity of “Raw Dawg” but does have the cleaner, more refined technique. Royval will have a two-inch advantage in height but surrender two inches in reach.

There’s also the matter of Royval’s mental state after witnessing a fatal shooting in Utah.

“I can’t really speak to anybody or speak to anybody else, but I felt like I’ve found myself in a lot of sh*tty situations, and I’ve been around a lot of sh*t that happens,” Royval told reporters at the UFC Vegas 98 media day. “I feel like I’m a little bit of a sh*t magnet. So I’m not really unfamiliar with some weird sh*t like that. But not necessarily a shooting like that, but I did CPR like a week before on another dude in a car accident. So it’s been a crazy month. I would stay as far away from me as possible to be completely honest. It’s been a crazy month. I’ve been threatened by crackheads, done CPR, been in a car accident, and the f*cking shooting and seeing someone die. Anyways. Probably stay away from me this week.”

Tatsuro Taira has an opportunity to resurrect the Japanese MMA scene as it pertains to UFC. Many of Japan’s top fighters have crossed over to the Octagon and come up short, like Yushin Okami, Yoshihiro Akiyama, and Takanori Gomi, among others. The promotion has certainly taken its sweet time bringing Taira to the head of the class and this weekend’s headliner represents a considerable upgrade in competition. Outside of his victory over No. 6-ranked Alex Perez, which ended by way of second-round injury, Taira has not faced anyone ranked in the Top 15 at 125 pounds. By comparison, eight of Royval’s nine opponents are currently ranked inside the Top 15, which includes the current champion. It’s also worth noting that Taira is still just 24 and may not yet be competing in his fighting prime, taking on a 32 year-old veteran with experience against the best in the world.

“I definitely want to show a big impact,” Taira told reporters at the UFC Vegas 98 media day. “I definitely want to show my strength. That’s something I want to show in this fight. I’m definitely focused on this one, but thinking of title fights, I’ve always dreamed and thought about the title fights. It’s something that I always have in mind. I’d love to have UFC back in Japan, and if I’m the star, I want to be that star to bring that back to Japan.”

There’s a possibility that Royval tries to strike from range or outmaneuver his Japanese foe, in which case I think he gives the fight away. There’s also the possibility that Taira leans on his newfound clinch game to shut down “Raw Dog’s” fists of fury. I have a sneaking suspicion Royval steps on the gas and makes this fight ugly, overwhelming Taira with high-volume, high-pressure offense, forcing the flyweight future star to fold midway through the fight.

Prediction: Royval def. Taira by technical knockout

185 lbs.: Brad Tavares vs. Jun Yong Park

Brad Tavares
Record: 20-9 | Age: 36 | Betting line: +164
Wins: 5 KO/TKO, 2 SUB, 13 DEC | Losses: 5 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 4 DEC
Height: 6’1“ | Reach: 74” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 3.38 | Striking accuracy: 43%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.15 | Striking Defense: 55%
Takedown Average: 0.78 (26% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 81%
Current Ranking: Unranked | Last fight: Technical knockout loss to Gregory Rodrigues

Jun Yong “Iron Turtle” Park
Record: 17-6 | Age: 33 | Betting line: -198
Wins: 5 KO/TKO, 6 SUB, 6 DEC | Losses: 1 KO/TKO, 2 SUB, 3 DEC
Height: 5’10“ | Reach: 73” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 4.53 | Striking accuracy: 50%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.30 | Striking Defense: 53%
Takedown Average: 1.83 (50% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 57%
Current Ranking: Unranked | Last fight: Split decision loss to Andre Muniz

Brad Tavares is a good example of how to carve out a successful UFC career without being in a position to make a run at the division title. The Hawaiian keeps an active fight schedule, wins more often than not, and carries himself professionally both inside and outside the cage. Now 36, Tavares is looking to break out of a slump, having dropped three of his last four. That includes his technical knockout loss to Brazilian wrecking ball Gregory Rodrigues at UFC Vegas 86 back in February. Tavares does everything good but nothing great and more than half his wins have come by way of decision. That said, you could probably make the same assessment about his “Sin City” opponent, middleweight “Turtle” Jun Yong Park.

“He’s very well-rounded and puts MMA together,” Tavares told reporters at the UFC Vegas 98 media day. “I don’t think he’s a specialist or an expert anywhere, and obviously he doesn’t have the kickboxing or boxing accolades, the wrestling or even the jiu-jitsu. But he does put them all together well. He’s a very complete MMA fighter. I think his biggest attribute is his toughness, just how tough he is.”

“I’ve watched him in fights where you think, ‘Okay, this guy is done’ and he pulls it out, very similar to (middleweight champion) Dricus (Du Plessis),” Tavares continued. “But I don’t think he’s nowhere near as dangerous as Dricus. Honestly, I think that he’s going to want to go to the ground where he feels like he has his best advantage. But if it ends up being a kickboxing (fight), I’ll take that all day.”

Jun Yong Park has yet to compete in 2024 thanks to a medical withdrawal earlier this year when he was first paired against Tavares at UFC Vegas 94 in July.

So what the heck happened?

“So there was a small scar or small scratch on the back of my ear, and the physician said it was staph infection, so the fight got canceled, unfortunately,” Park told reporters at the UFC Vegas 98 media day. “It was kind of whack. I told (Tavares) what happened and I was sorry. We both cut weight, and we were both looking forward to this, and unfortunately, it didn’t happen. Brad was very understanding. Things happen, you know?”

Like Tavares, Park was also obliterated by Gregory Rodrigues when they went to war at UFC Vegas 41 in late 2021. Park rebounded to capture four straight wins — three by submission — before dropping a split decision to Andre Muniz at UFC Vegas 83. “The Iron Turtle” is a notoriously tough out and is the kind of middleweight who will lace ‘em up against anyone in the 185-pound division.

“I’m a company man and I’ll fight whoever the UFC says,” Park continued. “When I got the contract and it said Brad Tavares again, it was just another day at the job. Nothing really changed for the gameplan. It’s the same opponent. I’m the same guy. The only thing that’s changed is we are going to cut weight twice for this fight.”

These fighters are very similar in style and will likely cancel each other out, though it remains to be seen how much Park uses his wrestling. When push comes to shove, particularly across a three-round affair, it’s hard to pick against a war horse like Tavares.

Prediction: Tavares def. Park by decision

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