Two of the very best flyweights in the world will headline the upcoming UFC Vegas 98 fight card on Oct. 12, 2024 from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Nevada, as the No. 1-ranked contender, Brandon Royval, looks to become the first fighter to defeat red-hot youngster and the No. 5-ranked contender, Tatsuro Taira.
UFC announced the main event matchup on social media on Friday night. Check it out below:
HUGE flyweight news
No. 1 @BrandonRoyval and No. 5 @TatsuroTaira are set to headline #UFCVegas98 pic.twitter.com/oIgWicVDXC
— UFC (@ufc) August 24, 2024
Royval, 32, lost his first UFC title shot to current UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja back at UFC 296 in Dec. 2023. Many thought “Raw Dawg” may have done enough in that fight to walk away with a split-decision win, but the champion ultimately got the nod. The loss snapped a three-fight win streak for Royval.
Luckily, the former LFA flyweight champion bounced back with a huge decision win over former UFC king Brandon Moreno this past February. That was a massive rematch and a huge performance for Royval who proved he can win a five-round fight and beat the best in the world. That victory has put him back on the doorstep of another UFC title shot.
Standing in his way will be Taira, who is 6-0 since entering the promotion back in 2022. The 24-year-old sensation has looked better every time he’s stepped inside the Octagon. His last fight against perennial contender Alex Perez in June may have ended with a knee injury to Perez, but Taira was dominating that fight. His grappling, fight IQ, and ability to inflict damage was on another level.
With Muhammad Mokaev out of the flyweight mix, the winner of this UFC Vegas 98 main event will most likely get the next shot at Pantoja’s flyweight reign.
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