Tatsuro Taira Makes a Strong Comeback at UFC Fight Night
The talented UFC flyweight fighter, Tatsuro Taira, demonstrated his resilience after his first professional setback. On Saturday, Taira dominated South Korean HyunSung Park at a UFC Fight Night event. Taira (17-1) managed to submit Park (10-1) with a face crank at 1:06 of the second round in Las Vegas. This was Taira’s first performance after suffering the first defeat of his career in October, a split decision against Brandon Royval. The 25-year-old Japanese phenomenon looked in excellent form, adding his fifth finish, the best in the division since 2022. The matchup at 125 pounds was finalized with little anticipation. Originally, Taira was scheduled to face Amir Albazi at the UFC Apex, but Albazi (17-2) withdrew the previous week for undisclosed medical reasons. The UFC turned to Park, who was scheduled to fight Steve Erceg the following week in Las Vegas. The new combination turned out to be a complete imbalance. Taira knocked Park down with a right hand in the first minute and quickly 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 break free and get back on his feet.In the second round, Taira wasted no time and attacked Park’s hips, taking him back to the ground in the first minute. This time, Park couldn’t counter Taira’s grappling superiority and quickly submitted to the face crank. Taira has finished eight of his 17 victories by submission and five by knockout.
With this victory, Taira improves his UFC record to 7-1. Before Saturday, Taira was number 6 in the UFC flyweight rankings. Had he fought Albazi, he would have had the opportunity to face the number 4 contender in the division. Park, who signed with the company in 2023, was unranked before the weekend.
