Taira Vs. Royval Betting Odds, Prediction | UFC Betting Sites

UFC Fight Night: Perez v Taira — Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight standouts Tatsuro Taira vs. Brandon Royval will go to war TONIGHT (Sat., Oct. 12, 2024) at UFC Vegas 98 inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Taira is the most exciting new face at 125-pounds in years. At 24 years of age, the Japanese talent has already put together a six-fight UFC win streak and advanced into the Top 10. He’s fun to watch, scores finishes, and could earn a title shot with a victory here — exactly what Flyweight needs. Royval, meanwhile, is in the midst of a solid run. He came up short versus Alexandre Pantoja in Dec. 2023, but he rebounded earlier this year by defeating former champion Brandon Moreno. All told, he’s won four of his last five, firmly establishing himself as a Top 5 Flyweight.

Let’s take a closer look at the betting odds and strategic keys for each athlete:

Taira Vs. Royval Betting Odds

Tatsuro Taira victory: -285
Tatsuro Taira via TKO/KO/DQ: +650
Tatsuro Taira via submission: +130
Tatsuro Taira via decision: +250
Brandon Royval victory: +230
Brandon Royval via TKO/KO/DQ: +700
Brandon Royval via submission: +1800
Brandon Royval via decision: +400
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

How Taira Wins

Taira is a lot of fun to watch. Initially, he seemed like a talented grappler only, but his recent wins have demonstrated a fast-improving kickboxing game with solid natural power. In total, he’s stopped 13 of his 16 opponents via strikes and submissions, and he’s only growing sharper.

In this match up, Taira has to be careful not to engage in Royval’s high-volume chaos. The way to defeat Royval is not to match his output but to pick the correct moments to time counters and takedowns off his offense. Taira, an aggressive young finisher, will have to remain strategic and manage his output.

In general, wrestling feels like the best path to victory. Royval is random on the feet, and it makes him hard to predict! Conversely, he’s struggled with being controlled consistently, and Pantoja took his back multiple times. Taira is a masterful back taker, which could be his best path to the win and finish alike.

How Royval Wins

Royval is still in the midst of a transition. He started his UFC career as a wild man, throwing spinning strikes as often as jabs. He’s trying to reign in the chaos while maintaining his volume, which did result in the best win of his pro career opposite Moreno.

In this match up, Royval has to manage range well. If he over-swings, Taira is going to duck into the clinch or into a takedown. He’s been throwing jabs in bunches lately, which is a good sign, but the follow up has to be a crisp left straight down the middle rather than a big swing.

Despite the takedown risk, I do think Royval needs to kick and knee here. A powerful left kick to the liver is hard to catch, as is a snappy front kick up the middle. Royval wants to wear down his young opponent, and punishing kicks are often the best path to doing so. In addition, adding a knee at the end of his punching combinations could really pay off.

If Royval is taken down early, the goal is to make Taira work without getting submitted. Royval has a lot of time to work here, and the longer the fight runs, the more it favors the veteran.

Taira Vs. Royval Prediction

Despite Royval’s recent Moreno victory, I don’t love his reformatted approach to combat. I would attribute that victory more to Moreno’s bad night than Royval’s adjustments, which seemed to take away a considerable bit of offensive potency.

Against Taira, Royval has to hurt the younger man to win, and that now feels less likely. I’m sure he’ll get touched up a few times in the process, but I’ve liked the developing look of Taira’s counter punching game. Alongside his takedowns and top control, that feels like a very reasonable path to consistent success.

A Royval spinning elbow or jumping kick could always shake things up, but he’s throwing less of ‘em lately.

Prediction: Taira via decision

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