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Comeback
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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

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the UFC Vegas 98 main card predictions RIGHT HERE.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 98 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card matchups which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining main card balance on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 98 news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive here. For the updated and finalized “Royval vs. Taira” fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Kayla Harrison is taking the high road.

Just hours before she defeated Ketlen Vieira at UFC 307, her former employers at PFL posted a message on Twitter mocking Harrison’s one and only loss when she fell to Larissa Pacheco by decision back in 2022. The viral tweet got plenty of attention with Pacheco saying the move was “uncalled for” and UFC CEO Dana White laughing it off while adding “when you’re losing as much money as they are, f*cking go for it.”

For her part, Harrison saw the tweet but she refused to take the bait and engage in some kind of war of words with her former promoters.

“I operate from a place of gratitude, and I grew up in that organization,” Harrison told MMA Fighting. “I was able to financially provide for my family. I have financial abundance. I grew so much there. I’m grateful for what I believe I helped build over there. I feel like I was a big part of that, and I take pride in that.

“But I just don’t have time for that kind of negativity and those digs. I don’t care. I’m staying in my lane. I’m doing my thing. I’m chasing my dreams. If anybody has a problem with that, I’ve said it very clearly before — they can go f*ck themselves. I don’t have anything to say. You want to talk shit about me losing a fight? Go ahead.”

Since leaving PFL in free agency and signing with UFC, Harrison has largely avoided taking shots at the organization she called home for the first 17 fights of her career.

Meanwhile, PFL co-founder Donn Davis has continually claimed Harrison left the organization because she was running away from potential fights against Pacheco and Cris Cyborg — despite the fact that Harrison actually holds two wins over Pacheco from previous encounters.

Regardless, Harrison won’t suddenly start bashing PFL just because the promotion has decided to use her name in an attempt to promote an upcoming fight between Pacheco and Cyborg on Oct. 19.

“That’s why I don’t have to say anything,” Harrison explained. “Because those choices speak for themselves. I’m not going to go low. I’m not going to talk shit. I’m not going to say a bunch of stuff that I could say and air a bunch [of dirty laundry]. I’m not going to do that because there’s no point.

“That’s not who I am as a person. That’s not the kind of business that I want to do. That’s not what I want to be known for. So I’ll just keep my head down, work hard, you want to talk shit about me? Go ahead. I helped build that company.”

As far as her decision to change promotions, Harrison is confident now more than ever she made the right choice.

“I have no doubts,” Harrison said. “I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

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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

Thursday’s UFC in-5 game

Wednesday’s UFC in-5 game

Tuesday’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 Fighting 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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Cain sizes up Jones and Aspinall
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Nick Rodriguez and Dante Leon took big wins and made it look easy at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 8.

UFC Fight Pass Invitational 8 (UFC FPI 8) is in the books, and it saw a fun clash of wrestlers as Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) million dollar winner Nick Rodriguez avoided an upset and dominated Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) standout Michael Pixley in the main event.

The event produced a lot of entertaining no gi Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ) action, and we run down the key matches on the UFC FPI 8 card below.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

No upset! Nicky Rod outwrestles, submits Michael Pixley

Pixley wanted another massive upset to follow up his highlight reel win over Nicholas Meregali at ADCC 2024, but Nick Rod proved to be a little too much for him in all areas.

While the NCAA Division II champion in Pixley was the more credentialed wrestler on paper, it was Nicky Rod who got multiple takedowns. Rodriguez won the wrestling exchanges, got on top and worked his trademark body lock passing to secure mount in the opening round. That smothering pressure only continued in the overtime period, as he again got a takedown, before eventually transitioning to the back and finishing with a rear naked choke.

Rodriguez outclassed Pixley, much like he has been doing to many credentialed grapplers recently. Apart from slightly more stand up exchanges early, this pretty much looked the same as Nicky Rod’s dominant run at CJI where his body lock passing repeatedly led to clean back takes and rear naked choke finishes.

The winningest grappler in UFC FPI history improved to 7-1 in the promotion, and Rodriguez continued to prove his case as one of the most imposing and dominant forces in jiu-jitsu today.

Renato Canuto heel hooks PJ Barch at UFC FPI 8 co-main event

The UFC Fight Pass Invitational 8 co-main event between Renato Canuto and PJ Barch ended up with a highlight reel finish. Known for his flashy, flying submissions, Canuto lived up to his reputation as he pulled off another slick sequence. After showcasing improved wrestling and even taking down a wrestler in Barch early, Canuto eventually jumped on a scissor takedown and immediately transitioned to a heel hook that forced a quick tap.

The Canuto family ended up with a great evening. Not only did Renato win the evening’s co-main event and settled the rubber match against Barch, his wife Raquel Canuto also got a submission finish earlier in the card.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Dante Leon gets slapped, then easily chokes out Andy Varela

Another big standout from UFC FPI 8 was Dante Leon, who showcased why he’s among the top pound-for-pound grapplers in the planet now. The recent ADCC absolute bronze medalist again moved up to face a bigger, stronger foe in Andy Varela, but Leon still made it look easy. After a chippy start, where Varela was deducted a point for slapping him in the face, Leon immediately returned the favor by swiftly locking in an arm-in guillotine off a takedown attempt.

Leon also called for a title fight after.

“Here’s the cool thing about me. I can kind of fight at any weight class,” Leon said. “I can go down to 155, stay at 170, go up and fight someone at 220 lbs. I kinda don’t give a f—k. But I want to win titles, so if UFC Fight Pass ever wants to do 155 or 170 titles, I want first crack that and I deserve it!”

Gabriel Sousa and Josh Cisneros also put on a show earlier on the card, with constant scrambles and non-stop action. After a scramble heavy opening round, Sousa managed to score two points early in overtime after a takedown that his Filipino-American opponent conceded. Cisneros then turned it up after, and had an armbar attempt and multiple near-back takes. Sousa looked to be in trouble up until the very last second, but he managed to defend just enough to survive, avoid getting scored on and ultimately win due to the early takedown.

Also getting finishes on the event are Ronaldo Junior and Raquel Canuto. For full results and highlights from UFC FPI 8, check here.

UFC FPI makes good changes to ruleset, mat area

UFC Fight Pass Invitational organizers made major changes for this event, adjusting their core ruleset and their fighting surface. The most noticeable change was removing the elevated stage and lowering the mat to the floor to make it safer for the athletes.

The other change was to their ruleset. The opening eight-minute rounds (or 10 for main events or title bouts) are submission-only, apart from potential point deductions due to stalling. If there’s no finish, they go to an overtime period with points similar to ADCC that rewards takedowns, passes and dominant positions. The difference from ADCC though, is that FPI only deducts points for stalling, not guard pulling.

Some of the early matches went to overtime, but I do like the changes, and the event ended with five straight submissions. The new point system really encouraged action, while also not favoring a certain style of grappling and keeping things balanced for either guard or top players. Grapplers also didn’t worry about falling off a stage and just continued scrambling near the edge of the mat area. It’s not quite like CJI’s alley walls that nearly eliminated resets completely, but it was still an improvement from the previous UFC Fight Pass Invitational card.

For the latest Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) and grappling-related news click here.

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There are a lot of different metrics to measure the success or failure of a combat sports promotion but perhaps one of the biggest indicators comes down to ticket sales. For BKFC, that might be the most telling sign that the bare-knuckle outfit has surpassed almost every other competitor out there.

With a debut card scheduled in Spain on Saturday, BKFC is embarking on a massive stretch of events that likely culminates with the organization going to Philadelphia for the first time ever in December. While organizations like the UFC proudly tout the live gate after an event, ticket sales for other promotions are rarely ever talked about.

BKFC founder and president David Feldman has a feeling he knows why.

“The UFC sells tickets,” Feldman explained when speaking to MMA Fighting. “The big, big boxing matches, they sell tickets. The smaller ones, the mid-ones don’t. The mid-MMA companies, they’re not selling tickets. Obviously the smaller [MMA promotions] are, they’re selling 1,000 tickets. Not really selling.”

When to BKFC, Feldman proudly talks about the promotion’s ticket sales because those numbers of steadily increased ever since the first show launched back in 2018.

There have been a number of sellouts over the years with BKFC 63 in Sturgis, S.D. setting a new record with 15,000 in attendance for a card headlined by strawweight women’s champion Britain Hart.

Feldman admits BKFC’s ability to sell tickets has become one of his proudest achievements, especially when it comes to drumming up more interest in potential investors looking to bet on a combat sports promotion.

“It’s actually my pitch to investors,” Feldman said. “I go ‘listen, we’re actually one of the only promotions in the world that sells tickets.’

“We just sold 5,400 tickets this past weekend. We’re projected to sell 6,700 tickets in Spain and then Denver, we’ll probably do 4,000 tickets there and then we’re doing Poland in December, Montana, All these shows coming up, they should really be a minimum of 4,000 tickets sold. Actually sold and that’s a big deal right now in combat sports because they’re not all sold. A lot of them are papered up.”

“Papered up” means tickets being given away for free to fill an arena, which happens quite often in combat sports.

Feldman admits there was definitely a time when BKFC gave away more tickets than the organization sold but that’s just not the case any longer.

“I won’t lie to you — I might have lied to you five years ago and said we sold 3,000 tickets when we only sold 1,000,” Feldman said. “But now we’re actually selling all our tickets.

“We might give away three or four percent of our tickets right now but we’re selling it all.”

With ticket sales on the rise, a new broadcast deal in place with DAZN and Conor McGregor on board as a co-owner now, Feldman expects 2024 to be the biggest year yet for BKFC and he’s anticipating an even bigger 2025.

“We thought we were out of business 10 different times and we just found a way to make it happen and make it work,” Feldman said. “I don’t see any end in sight. I think we got a really great shot right now of knocking on the No. 1’s door.”

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Belal Muhammad is preparing for his first title defense with the reigning UFC welterweight champion most likely returning in December.

That’s according to his manager Ali Abdelaziz, who confirmed that Muhammad is training and ready to fight before the end of the year.

“Belal is ready to go in December,” Abdelaziz told MMA Fighting. “No problem. We’re ready to go, but the UFC has to announce. I can’t be announcing a fight on your podcast. Most likely you’re going to see for sure Belal in December. Against who, where, when, this is a Dana White question.

“It can be Shavkat [Rakhmonov]. It can be [Kamaru] Usman. It can be whatever the UFC wants. I said if you’re the champ, you have to defend the title against [whoever] they’re going to give you. It doesn’t matter who.”

If December happens, Muhammad would almost certainly fight at UFC 310, which is scheduled on Dec. 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

As far as potential opponents, Muhammad has seemingly singled out undefeated contender Shavkat Rakhmonov as his most likely challenge, although he’s definitely engaged in a war of words with former champion Kamaru Usman as well.

Abdelaziz actually manages both Muhammad and Usman and he expects that fight to happen at some point in the future, but it’s just unclear if that’s the one that happens next.

“Kamaru is one of my best friends, my brother, Belal is my brother, I love both of these guys,” Abdelaziz said. “At the end of the day, two alpha males. Kamaru hold this crown for a long time, Belal has earned the crown. He’s the king now. Kamaru believes he can still be the king. I think these guys don’t respect each other too much, to be honest with you.

“You can pretty much see these guys fight in the future for sure. I think one of the biggest fights in the welterweight division is Kamaru vs. Belal. It’s not even close. Nobody even close. Belal needs big names to certify himself as one of the greatest welterweights of all time. He needs Kamaru Usman. Kamaru is the king of the welterweight division. Dana White says he’s the greatest of all-time. When these two guys fight, it will be one of the biggest fights in the welterweight division at the time.”

For his part, Abdelaziz promises that he’s not going to get involved in the war of words between two of his fighters. He’s been here before. Abdelaziz says his only job is making sure the fighters stay healthy, they get everything they need from him, and both end up with bigger bank accounts when it’s all over.

“They will fight,” Abdelaziz said. “At the end of the day, they’re two grown men. They both want the same thing. I’m in the middle of this and my job is when they both fight I’m going to make sure they make a whole bunch of money and they got everything they need.

“Look, Marlon Moraes fought Henry Cejudo. Kamaru fought Gilbert [Burns]. Justin Gaethje fought Khabib [Nurmagomedov], all for the title, and I stay neutral. I will remain the same.”

Whether it’s Rakhmonov or Usman, Abdelaziz says that Muhammad isn’t going to back down from any challenges thrown his way. He waited so long to get his title shot that his manager believes Muhammad is very anxious to begin his championship reign.

“Belal will fight anybody, too, don’t get it twisted,” Abdelaziz said. “Belal is not afraid of any man on this planet. He’s the champ for a reason. Kamaru also is not afraid of anybody. I’m sure Shavkat is not afraid of anybody. When you come to these top five guys, nobody can say these guys are afraid or ducking anybody.

“The guy who’s been ducking people for years and he never fights is Colby Covington. He only fights when it’s convenient for him. That’s the only guy I can say ducks people. Not anybody else.”

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