Tatsuro Taira Showcases Dominance at UFC Fight Night
UFC flyweight standout Tatsuro Taira emphatically responded to his first career setback, dominating South Korea’s HyunSung Park at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night event.
Taira (17-1) submitted Park (10-1) via a face choke in the first minute of the second round of their flyweight main event in Las Vegas. This was Taira’s first appearance after suffering the first loss of his career in October, a split decision defeat to Brandon Royval. The 25-year-old Japanese phenomenon showed his best level on Saturday, achieving his fifth finish since 2022, the most in his division.
The fight at 125 pounds was finalized with little notice. Originally, Taira was scheduled to face Amir Albazi at the UFC Apex, but Albazi (17-2) was forced to withdraw the previous week due to undisclosed medical reasons. The UFC turned to Park, who was scheduled to fight the following week against former champion Steve Erceg 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 immediately took his back on the ground. Park showed 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.
Taira wasted no time and launched himself onto Park’s hips in the second round, taking him down again in the first minute. This time, Park couldn’t defend against Taira’s superior grappling and quickly submitted to the chokehold. Taira has finished eight of his 17 victories by submission and another 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 not ranked before the weekend.
