Tatsuro Taira Makes a Strong Comeback at UFC Fight Night
UFC flyweight standout Tatsuro Taira showed his resilience by bouncing back from his first professional loss with a dominant performance at UFC Fight Night, submitting HyunSung Park. Taira, with a record of 17-1, finished Park (10-1) via a face crank at 1:06 of the second round in the flyweight main event held in Las Vegas. This was Taira’s first appearance since suffering his first defeat in October, a split decision against Brandon Royval. The 25-year-old Japanese fighter displayed his best form, achieving his fifth finish since 2022, the most in his division. The 125-pound fight was finalized with little notice. Taira was originally scheduled to face Amir Albazi at the UFC Apex, but Albazi withdrew the previous week due to 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 an uneven match. Taira knocked Park down with a right hand in the first minute and quickly 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.In the second round, Taira attacked Park’s hips and took him to the ground in the first minute. This time, Park couldn’t defend against Taira’s grappling superiority and quickly submitted to the face crank. Taira has finished eight of his 17 professional 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.
