Brandon Royval upsets Tatsuro Taira in sensational UFC Main Event

Following UFC 307 in Salt Lake City, the UFC returned to the Apex in Las Vegas for a UFC Fight Night card highlighted by a flyweight title eliminator between Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira.

Arguably the hottest prospect on the UFC roster heading into his second main event, Taira joined the promotion in 2022 and quickly put himself within reach of a title shot by adding six wins to his perfect professional record.

UFC Fight Night Live Results and Highlights – Royval vs. Taira

The 24-year-old passed his first big test in June when he headlined a UFC event for the first time, defeating Alex Perez to earn him a huge opportunity against No. 1 Royval in Las Vegas.

“Raw Dawg” fell short in a flyweight title fight with Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 296, but rebounded with a split decision against former champion Brandon Moreno in February, and after entering the Taira matchup as a significant underdog, Royval found significant success with his offense in the opening round.

In the second round, Taira largely dominated his opponent on the mat before Royval regained the momentum in the third frame, although that round ended with him fending off a rear-naked choke attempt from “Raw Dawg” after nearly ending the fight with strikes. .

Taira rallied to control the ground action again in the fourth, and while the fight was seemingly tied for two rounds heading into the final frame, both men had their gas tanks completely emptied before Royval took a hard-earned split made a decision.

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The win will likely give Royval a second shot at the flyweight belt, which Pantoja will look to defend for a third time when he faces Kai Asakura in the recently announced co-main event for UFC 310.

The wild flyweight main event capped off a UFC Vegas 98 main card that featured decision victories over Daniel Rodriguez, Chidi Njokuani and Jun Yong Park, as well as a brutal TKO victory over Grant Dawson.

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