Royal Royval: Top Flyweight Contender Defeats Previously-Undefeated Tatsuro Taira

Tatsuro Taira showcased what makes him so dangerous Saturday night against Brandon Royval. Taira got on Royval’s back several times in the second and fourth rounds. But Royval bucked and rolled wildly to defend himself from being choked out.

What MMAfighting latest news shows that Taira learned from the experience is what it will take if he wants to be a legitimate flyweight contender. Royval dominated Taira on his feet, nearly knocking out Taira a few times with well-placed knees to earn a split-decision victory. Taira, who was 16-0 before the decision was read, nearly broke down in tears after hearing the scorecards that confirmed his first loss.

This provides Royval, who was the No. 1 contender, with a statement to keep himself in the race for another shot at the championship. Royval fought Alexandre Pantoja for the belt at UFC 296, losing via a decision. He has lost to Pantoja twice in his career. Royval would be happy to get a third chance to defeat his rival and become a champion for the first time.

Grant Dawson Thanks His Wife Creatively

Nothing is more sweet than when a fighter thanks his wife during his post-fight interview. Grant Dawson, however, had his wife covering her face in embarrassment following his second-round TKO win over Rafa Garcia. Dawson, who picked up his first knockout win since 2021, has rebounded with consecutive victories from his first UFC loss. But that won’t be what people remember about his performance.

“There’s one more person I may have to thank even more, and that’s my beautiful, beautiful wife,” Dawson said. “I’m telling you the biggest cheat code that I have is having the most amazing and supportive wife that you could possibly have. How much she supports me is literally my favorite thing about her – well, it’s my second favorite thing about her. My first favorite thing is she has a dump truck you could bounce a quarter off of.”

Iron Turtle Grab Another Close Victory

Anyone looking at MMA breaking news knows it never comes easy for Park Jun-yong. During Park’s last six fights, three of them have gone to a split decision. Park is 2-1 in those contests, including a win over Brad Tavares this weekend.

Tavares put Park on his heels in the first round when he scored a knockdown. However, if you can’t put the Iron Turtle away, you must be prepared to handle his well-versed style. Park effectively mixed his grappling and striking to wear down Tavares. During the third round, Park was able to get on top and do enough effective damage from top position to secure a win.

D-Rod Gets Back on Track

Daniel Rodriguez had not won in the UFC since September 2022. Over the past few years, Rodriguez stepped up and took on some major challenges. Rodriguez lost three straight fights, including one to undefeated contender Ian Machado Garry and former title contender Kelvin Gastelum.

But Rodriguez was able to get back in his comfort zone against Alex Morono. Morono didn’t pose a significant grappling threat, so both men were able to operate where they felt most comfortable: with their striking. Throughout three rounds, Rodriguez was able to land the more powerful shots and walked away with a decision win.

Temirov Debuts With Major Splash

Ramazan Temirov had a difficult first opponent for his first UFC fight. CJ Vergara is a veteran fighter with a solid chin. Temirov ended up rushing forward in the first round, landing a series of looping punches that sent Vergara crashing to the canvas.Vergara had never been knocked out before in his professional career. It was a big win for Temirov, who has won 10 consecutive fights dating back to his time on the regional scene. Termirov has now won five consecutive fights by first-round finish.

Sabatini Gets Back on His Feet

Pat Sabatini suffered a brutal knockout during his last fight. Fighting powerful striker Diego Lopes saw Sabatini get put on his backfoot immediately before being knocked out 90 seconds into the fight. However, Jonathan Pearce doesn’t have the show-stopping power that Lopes does.

Instead, Pearce chose to engage with Sabatini on the ground. That proved to be a major mistake. Sabatini was able to work his way to Peace’s back and secure a rear-naked choke late in the round. It was Sabatini’s 12th win by submission.

Junior Tafa Does Whatever It Takes

Junior Tafa didn’t get disappointed when he had his opponent switched at the last minute. In the UFC, there is always a chance that things could change at a moment’s notice. What Tafa had to worry about was if he had enough gas left in the tank to finish Sean Sharaf.

While Tafa controlled the striking from the opening bell, referee Mark Smith wasn’t quick to stop the fight. During the second round, both men were running out of gas, but Sharaf was noticeably fatigued. Tafa continued to fire heavy strikes as Sharaf stood against the cage and was barely able to keep his hands up.

Eventually, Smith had to step in to help Sharaf. Tafa improved to 6-3 in the promotion and has won all of his fights by KO or TKO. Tafa had originally stepped in as a replacement for Waldo Cortes-Acosta to fight Chris Barnett. However, Barnett had to pull out due to travel issues caused by Hurricane Milton.

Here are the results from the rest of the fights not mentioned above:

Catchweight (172.5 pounds), Chidi Njokuania win by decision over Jared Gooden, 30-27 (x3)

Welterweight, Themba Gorimbo win by decision over Niko Price, 30-27 (x3)

Women’s strawweight, Julia Polastri win by split decision over Cory McKenna, Polastri (30-27, 29-28) McKenna (20-28)

Catchweight (138.5), Cody Haddon win by decision over Daniel Argueta, 30-27 (x3)

Flyweight, Clayton Carpenter win by technical submission (rear-naked choke) over Lucas Rocha, Round 2 2:12

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By Dean McHugh.