Fresh off the first UFC main event of his career, Japanese flyweight Tatsuro Taira has drawn another big assignment.
Taira (16-0) will next face Brandon Royval (16-7) in the main event of the UFC’s October 12, 2024 Fight Night card. News of the booking was first reported by Krazy Kevin MMA on Twitter/X.
Royval later confirmed the booking, saying “Get to put my #1 spot against the future of the division in most likely a title eliminator. It will be a honor to share the cage with Tatsuro,” before adding “Ps don’t know what happened to [Amir] Alabazi. The fight I asked for.”
Brandon Royval is 4-1 across his last five fights, with the lone loss coming in a title fight against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 296 last December. Aside from that setback, Royval has put together wins over Brandon Moreno and Matheus Nicolau, among others.
For Taira, he’ll look to build off a win over former title challenger Alex Perez in the main event of UFC Vegas 93 in June. A takedown by the Japanese fighter left Perez with a leg injury, rendering him unable to continue.
Still just 24-years old, Tatsuro Taira is 6-0 inside the octagon, with four finishes in that span. With another undefeated prospect, Mohammad Mokaev, recently shown the door, Taira very much appears to be a future title challenger, perhaps sooner than expected.
Taira is ranked #5, and Royval #1 in the UFC’s flyweight division.
