Tatsuro Taira Returns with Stunning Victory at UFC Fight Night
UFC flyweight contender Tatsuro Taira emphatically responded to his first professional loss, dominating South Korean HyunSung Park at the UFC Fight Night event held on Saturday. Taira (17-1) submitted Park (10-1) via a face crank at 1:06 of the second round in the flyweight main event in Las Vegas. This was Taira’s first appearance since suffering the first loss of his career in October, a split decision against Brandon Royval. The 25-year-old Japanese prodigy showed his best form, recording his fifth finish, the best in the division, since 2022. The matchup at 125 pounds was finalized with little notice. Taira was originally scheduled to face Amir Albazi at the UFC Apex, but Albazi (17-2) had to withdraw the previous week due to undisclosed medical reasons. The UFC turned to Park, who was scheduled to fight former champion Steve Erceg the following week in Las Vegas. The new combination proved to be a complete imbalance. Taira knocked Park down with a right hand in the first minute and immediately took his back on the ground. Park showed good composure in recovering from the blow and avoiding Taira’s submission attempts, but could not find a way to separate from Taira and get back on his feet.Taira wasted no time in launching himself onto Park’s hips in the second round and again took him down to the ground in the first minute. This time, Park couldn’t resist Taira’s superior grappling and quickly submitted to the face crank. Taira has finished eight of his 17 professional victories by submission and another five by knockout.
The victory improves Taira’s UFC record to 7-1. Before Saturday, he was the UFC’s number 6 flyweight. Had he fought Albazi, he would have had the opportunity to face the division’s number 4 contender. Park, who signed with the company in 2023, arrived at the weekend unranked.
