Tag: Tatsuro Taira

Tatsuro Taira Tops ESPN’s ’25 Under 25? MMA list, Muhammad Mokaev Takes Tenth

ESPN has published it’s MMA 25 under 25 list for 2024 which highlights the top young and rising talent in the sport today. As the list itself states, it isn’t always a perfect predictor of who will go on to achieve success at the highest level but it does group together the young competitors that […]

ESPN has published it’s MMA 25 under 25 list for 2024 which highlights the top young and rising talent in the sport today. As the list itself states, it isn’t always a perfect predictor of who will go on to achieve success at the highest level but it does group together the young competitors that are showing the most promise right now.

For example, in 2019, the top two picks in A.J. McKee and Sean O’Malley have certainly gone on to deliver on their potential whilst the following three names in Edmen Shahbazyan, Nasrat Haqparast and Aspen Ladd have all had varying degrees of success.

Topping the list this time around is Japan’s Tatsuro Taira who is the #5-ranked contender in the UFC’s flyweight division. Even in his last fight where he suffered the first loss of his 17-fight pro career against Brandon Royval, it was clear that Taira belongs at the top of the 125-pound division following six wins inside the Octagon.

His fellow countryman Rei Tsuruya has also scored high (#4) and at 22-years old, he will look to earn his second consecutive win in the UFC when he returns against Stewart Nicoll at UFC 312 in February. The second spot belongs to Raul Rosas Jr. who is likely to be a fixture of these lists for a few more years given that he’s still only 20-years old despite having five UFC appearances already under his belt.

Coming in at number three is the highest ranked woman on the list with Iasmin Lucindo currently occupying the #7-ranking in the UFC’s strawweight division. One of this year’s winners of The Ultimate Fighter, Mairon Santos, rounds out the top five.

Across the top 10, there are two names that don’t currently compete in the UFC and they land at #9 and #10. The younger brother of Zabit Magomedsharipov, Khasan Magomedsharipov, is undefeated at 10-0 with his latest Bellator win coming in June.

Former UFC flyweight contender Muhammad Mokaev is set to make his BRAVE CF return on December 13 after he parted ways with the UFC following his seventh consecutive win in the promotion over Manel Kape. The #10-pick was placed at #2 in 2023’s list and though he might not be in the UFC right now, he’s clearly still one of the best flyweights in the world at 24-years old. Interestingly, five of the top 10 are men’s flyweights.

Check out the full list below:

  1. Tatsuro Taira
  2. Raul Rosas Jr.
  3. Iasmin Lucindo
  4. Rei Tsuruya
  5. Mairon Santos
  6. Denise Gomes
  7. Felipe dos Santos
  8. Joshua Van
  9. Khasan Magomedsharipov
  10. Muhammad Mokaev
  11. Stephanie Luciano
  12. Tom Nolan
  13. Luana Santos
  14. Cameron Saaiman
  15. Austin Bashi
  16. Lucas Brennan
  17. Kevin Vallejos
  18. Francisco Prado
  19. Fatima Kline
  20. Shanelle Dyer
  21. Nurullo Aliev
  22. Rongzhu
  23. Tereza Bleda
  24. Makoto Takahashi
  25. Kade Ruotolo

Tatsuro Taira Issues First Statement After UFC Fight Night Loss To Brandon Royval

Tatsuro Taira has released his first statement on social media after suffering the first loss of his career in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main event. After winning his first six outings on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage, Taira had the opportunity to impress opposite the #1-ranked contender at 125 pounds on Saturday night inside the […]

Continue Reading Tatsuro Taira Issues First Statement After UFC Fight Night Loss To Brandon Royval at MMA News.

Tatsuro Taira has released his first statement on social media after suffering the first loss of his career in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main event.

After winning his first six outings on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage, Taira had the opportunity to impress opposite the #1-ranked contender at 125 pounds on Saturday night inside the Apex.

And although he exited the cage with a defeat added to his previously perfect record, the rising Japanese star certainly made a splash in his sophomore experience in the headline spotlight.

Taira Keeps Eyes On Ultimate Prize After First UFC Setback

Taira played his part in one of the best main events and fights seen under the UFC banner in 2024, going toe-to-toe with Brandon Royval across 25 minutes in Las Vegas.

The Japanese 24-year-old earned the nod on one of the judges’ scorecards, but he ultimately fell on the wrong side of a split decision verdict.

Nevertheless, Taira’s stock didn’t appear to fall with the result, which came after he had overcome notable adversity in round three to avoid being finished.

And moving forward, the loss has seemingly done little to affect the Okinawa native’s drive to reach the top. In fact, he appears more eager to achieve title glory in the UFC than ever.

“Thank you so much for all your support. I’m also grateful to my team for coming to the U.S. and supporting me,” Taira wrote on X (translated from Japanese). “Even though I was overcome with emotion after losing, I felt a strong desire to become UFC champion and give back to everyone, even if just a little. I will look forward and come back stronger.”

While Taira looks ahead to his chance to quickly return to winning ways next time out, gold is no doubt on the mind of Royval.

“Raw Dawg” has now won back-to-back main events against top-five opposition since falling short against Alexandre Pantoja in his first title shot last December. He’ll now have a close eye on “The Cannibal’s” upcoming defense opposite newcomer Kai Asakura.

Continue Reading Tatsuro Taira Issues First Statement After UFC Fight Night Loss To Brandon Royval at MMA News.

‘New Mythical Fighter: Round 5 Royval’ – Fans & Fighters React As Brandon Royval Edges Out Tatsuro Taira In Crazy UFC Fight Night Main Event

A highly anticipated UFC Fight Night main event between Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira lived up to the hype and then some. And after five rounds of back-and-forth, hard-fought action, Royval ultimately came out on top in a split decision. Royval appeared to be getting the better of Taira through most of the first round, […]

Continue Reading ‘New Mythical Fighter: Round 5 Royval’ – Fans & Fighters React As Brandon Royval Edges Out Tatsuro Taira In Crazy UFC Fight Night Main Event at MMA News.

A highly anticipated UFC Fight Night main event between Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira lived up to the hype and then some. And after five rounds of back-and-forth, hard-fought action, Royval ultimately came out on top in a split decision.

Royval appeared to be getting the better of Taira through most of the first round, landing shots that snapped Taira’s head back. The Japanese fighter, however, appeared to possibly stun the former title challenger late in the round and scored a takedown before its conclusion.

Taira got back to work in the second round, scoring a takedown early and looking for multiple submission attempts from the back. Royval defended well, but Taira maintained a body triangle and twisted “Raw Dawg” and his limbs on more than one occasion.

Royval, however, got control back by tagging Taira with a number of hard shots, which had referee Jason Herzog looking close to intervening for the TKO stoppage. The #1-ranked contender went to the ground with Taira and looked for an armbar. However, Taira got out of it and got right back to Royval’s back, looking for a rear-naked choke in the round’s closing seconds.

Taira brought the fight back to the ground and was in control for nearly the whole of the fourth stanza, riding in top position and working Royval over with his grappling. This led to a suspenseful and highly anticipated final round.

Royval was getting the better of Taira on the feet, but the latter brought the fight back to the mat. “Raw Dawg,” however, worked his way back to the feet and landed some strong shots. Royval then went for a guillotine and several other submission attempts, staying in control on the ground until the final horn.

Royval Wins Competitive, Entertaining Flyweight Main Event vs. Taira, Ends Taira’s Undefeated Record

Royval has now won five of his last six fights, with his sole loss in that span coming from an unsuccessful challenge of flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 296 last December

Meanwhile, the loss marks the first of Taira’s professional career after starting his Octagon tenure at 6-0.

Continue Reading ‘New Mythical Fighter: Round 5 Royval’ – Fans & Fighters React As Brandon Royval Edges Out Tatsuro Taira In Crazy UFC Fight Night Main Event at MMA News.

Pantoja’s Coach: Title Defense Against Former Two-Weight Champion ‘Doesn’t Make Any Sense’

UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja’s coach, Marcos “Parrumpa” da Matta of American Top Team, recently weighed on the potential opponents for “The Cannibal’s” title defense upon his return to the Octagon. Pantoja successfully defended his title for the second time with a commanding unanimous decision victory over Steve Erceg in the main event of UFC […]

Continue Reading Pantoja’s Coach: Title Defense Against Former Two-Weight Champion ‘Doesn’t Make Any Sense’ at MMA News.

UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja’s coach, Marcos “Parrumpa” da Matta of American Top Team, recently weighed on the potential opponents for “The Cannibal’s” title defense upon his return to the Octagon.

Pantoja successfully defended his title for the second time with a commanding unanimous decision victory over Steve Erceg in the main event of UFC 301 this past May in front of his home crowd at the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro.

During a media interaction at UFC International Fight Week in June, Pantoja told journalists that he is already negotiating a major fight for his return against an opponent that “no one expects.”

While the Brazilian remained tight-lipped about the specific contender, his coach now has a particular name in mind…

‘Parrumpa’ Plays Matchmaker For Pantoja

During a recent interview with Sherdog.com, da Matta delved into the potential opponents for Pantoja’s next fight. The seasoned MMA coach highlighted that the most logical contender for Pantoja is the undefeated Japanese flyweight sensation Tatsuro Taira.

“I think that the most natural names will be—I mean, I think, to be honest, that the name that makes more sense right now is Tatsuro Taira,” da Matta said. “Because he’s already had some fights in the UFC; he finished [Alex] Perez. I’m not gonna say it was a fluke, but it was an injury. Nonetheless, it was a finish.”

He also explained why other contenders, such as Amir Albazi and former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo, do not make sense for Pantoja’s next title defense.

“I don’t think Albazi is ready. He’s been a long time getting hurt, trying to get better, so I don’t think he’s in a position to go for a title shot. His last fight was a while ago, and a lot of people thought he lost… I think Cejudo doesn’t make any sense for the UFC because he retired when he was on top. He beat Dominick Cruz, which was amazing, then retired. He came back, wasn’t that great, lost, and went back to retirement. Now he’s going to come back in the weight division below 135 [pounds] and fight for the belt? And then what happens if he wins? Is he going to defend, or is he going to retire again?”

Following his TKO victory over Perez at a Fight Night event in June, Taira expressed his desire for a title shot against “The Cannibal” in 2024, aiming to become the first Japanese champion in UFC history. He is set to headline an upcoming event at the UFC Apex against former title challenger Brandon Royval on October 12.

Continue Reading Pantoja’s Coach: Title Defense Against Former Two-Weight Champion ‘Doesn’t Make Any Sense’ at MMA News.

Tatsuro Taira scores second-round TKO as Alex Perez suffers horrific knee injury – UFC Vegas 93 Highlights

Tatsuro Taira scores TKO as Alex Perez suffers horrific knee injury in round two - UFC Vegas 93 HighlightsReturning to the familiar confines of The APEX in Las Vegas, UFC Vegas 93 delivered a high-stakes flyweight main…

Tatsuro Taira scores TKO as Alex Perez suffers horrific knee injury in round two - UFC Vegas 93 Highlights

Returning to the familiar confines of The APEX in Las Vegas, UFC Vegas 93 delivered a high-stakes flyweight main event as rising contender Tatsuro Taira took on No. 5 ranked title challenger Alex Perez.

Things got off to a hot start with Perez gaining the upper hand early. As the round progressed, Taira slowly began to take over, but an accidental eye poke halted his momentum. That allowed Perez to reset and score a late takedown in an otherwise close round.

Taira would again poke Perez in the eye in round two, prompting referee Herb Dean to give him a hard warning.

Looking to take things to the ground, Taira closed the distance and quickly hopped onto Perez’s back. Slapping on a body triangle, Taira used his momentum to whip Perez backward and off his feet. Landing hard, Perez immediately began to scream in agony, prompting Dean to step in and stop the fight.

Tatsuro Taira

As doctors rushed into the Octagon, it became apparent that Perez had suffered an unfortunate knee injury and had to be carried out of the cage as the official announcement was read.

Official Result: Tatsuro Taira def. Alex Perez via TKO (knee injury) at 2:59 of Round 2.

Check out Highlights From Alex Perez vs. Tatsuro Taira at UFC Vegas 93:

Prospect of the Year – LowKick MMA 2023 Awards

Prospect of the Year LowKick MMA 2023 awards UFCThis year has seen the emergence of a slew of contenders across the board and multiple divisions in the…

Prospect of the Year LowKick MMA 2023 awards UFC

This year has seen the emergence of a slew of contenders across the board and multiple divisions in the UFC — from almost top-to-bottom.

From the likes of unbeaten starlet, Bo Nickal, to Japanese up and comer, Tatsuro Taira, an even PFL prospect, Dakota Ditcheva, the above trio have stood out leaps and bounds ahead of the rest in terms for bang for your buck for their respective organizations — with each possessing massive career ceilings by the looks of things. However, as far as standouts are concerned, amateur wrestling phenom, Bo Nickal has received the majority of votes by staff at LowKick MMA — crowning him as our Prospect of the Year for 2023.

Prospect of the Year – Bo Nickal – UFC – 2-0-0 (5 votes)

Reveared ahead of his eventual move to the UFC following a pair of bouts on Dana White’s Contender Series, Colorado-born grappling ace, Bo Nickal has already received billing as a surefire top-contender at the middleweight limit in the future — if not a future gold holder.

Nickal, 27, improved his unbeaten professional record to first 4-0 then 5-0 by the end of the summer, landing consecutive victories by submission over Jamie Pickett, and then Val Woodburn with a hasty first round knockout, respectively.

Booked to make his third appearance in the Octagon next year, Nickal returns at a monumental UFC 300 card next April, taking on Cody Brundage.

Honorable Mentions –

Shavkat Rakhmonov – UFC – 2-0-0 (1 vote)

Likely just making the cut-off point to be considering an out-and-out prospect — unbeaten Uzbekistan finishing machine, Shavkat Rakhmonov demonstrated why many have tipped him to win welterweight gold before the end of next year — laying waste to perennial contender, Stephen Thompson in one-sided fashion last weekend.

The 18-0 fighter landed his whopping eighteenth consecutive stoppage win at UFC 296 earlier this month with his second round rear-naked choke win over Thompson, having stopped Geoff Neal with a brutal third round standing rear-naked choke back in March.

Earning the number three rank with his win over Thompson, Rakhmonov has been touted to challenge Leon Edwards for welterweight gold potentially as soon as his next outing.

Tatsuro Taira – UFC – 3-0-0 (1 vote)

Turning in an unbeaten three-fight tenure in the UFC this year, surging Japanese prospect, Tatusro Taira ended the year with a top-15 cracking display against Carlos Hernandez at the beginning of the month, landing in the ranks at the flyweight limit — as well as improving to 15-0 as a professional. This year alone, Taira, 23, has beaten the aforenoted, Hernandez to go with a win over Edgar Chairez, and Jesus Santos Aguilar.

Dakota Ditcheva – PFL – 3-0-0 (1 vote)

British flyweight striker, Dakota Ditcheva not only brought an end to her 2023 schedule boasting an impressive 10-0 undefeated record, but also landed the PFL (Professional Fighters League) Europe flyweight tournament success at the flyweight limit, amid a run of three consecutive finishes.

Ditcheva, 25, has been revered for her impressive striking ability, landing eight career stoppages via knockout so far — the most recent of which in her TKO success against Valentina Scattizi in Dublin earlier this month — minting herself as the PFL flyweight champion of Europe.

Full list of the LowKick MMA 2023 Prospect of the Year votes:

Ross Markey: Bo Nickal

Ian Shutts: Bo Nickal

Craig Pekios: Bo Nickal

Makoa Goble: Shavkat Rakhmonov

Tony King: Bo Nickal

Red Pill MMA: Bo Nickal

Michael Owens: Dakota Ditcheva

Danny Podolsky: Tatsuro Taira