Tag: UFC Vegas 98

UFC Roster Update: Latest Round Of Cuts Following Fight Night: Royval-Taira

The weigh-ins for this past weekend’s UFC Vegas 98 event at the Apex were fairly dramatic with three fighters failing to hit the mark. Despite their misses, both Jared Gordon and Dan Argueta still competed at the event that was headlined by Brandon Royval’s win over Tatsuro Taira. Unfortunately for him and his opponent, the […]

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The weigh-ins for this past weekend’s UFC Vegas 98 event at the Apex were fairly dramatic with three fighters failing to hit the mark. Despite their misses, both Jared Gordon and Dan Argueta still competed at the event that was headlined by Brandon Royval’s win over Tatsuro Taira.

Unfortunately for him and his opponent, the same couldn’t be said for Josh Fremd who was scheduled to meet Abdul Razak Alhassan at middleweight. Fremd hit the scales at 189, making him three pounds over the required limit of 186.

The fight was cancelled and according to the UFC Roster Tracker account on X, will be the final chapter in Fremd’s UFC career for the time being.

The Roster Tracker account has been incredibly active over the past few days with what appears to be a long string of releases from the UFC which isn’t necessarily anything new for the promotion.

Fremd’s name was added to the list after his weight miss this past weekend, ending his UFC career with a record of 2-4.

The 30-year old had missed weight by three pounds once before during his UFC tenure, coming in at 189 for his meeting with Jamie Pickett in August of last year where the fight went ahead.

Wales’ Cory McKenna who did compete at UFC Vegas 98 was also revealed to no longer be on the roster following her second consecutive defeat, ending her run inside the Octagon at 3-3.

Continue Reading UFC Roster Update: Latest Round Of Cuts Following Fight Night: Royval-Taira at MMA News.

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.

Grant Dawson Thanks His Wife’s Booty in UFC Vegas 98 Post-Fight Speech

Grant DawsonUFC lightweight contender Grant Dawson chose an unorthodox way to show appreciation for his wife after a big win…

Grant Dawson

UFC lightweight contender Grant Dawson chose an unorthodox way to show appreciation for his wife after a big win at UFC Vegas 98.

Dawson put on another signature performance inside the Octagon by finishing Rafa Garcia by TKO at UFC Vegas 98. After smothering Garcia on the ground in the first round, Dawson pushed the gas in Round 2, eventually finishing Garcia with ground-and-pound.

Grant Dawson, a Dana White’s Contender Series alum, is one of the most promising young stars in the UFC lightweight division. Since a knockout loss to King Green last year, he’s won back-to-back fights and is knocking on the door of the Top 15.

After the win over Garcia, Grant Dawson highlighted his supportive wife Elle, who was cageside for his victory. Things took a wild turn in a hurry after sharing his wife’s impact on his career.

Grant Dawson’s UFC Vegas 98 Interview Breaks The Internet

Watch Dawson’s colorful post-fight interview below.

Dawson’s wife, Elle, is a former professional MMA fighter and American Top Team trainee. She accumulated a 5-1 record in his career with three submission wins.

Dawson earned a shot in the UFC by submitting Adrian Diaz during the opening season of DWCS in 2017. After earning the contract, he notched nine consecutive unbeaten performances, including finishes of Jared Gordon and Mark Madsen.

As Dawson continues to rise the UFC lightweight ranks, his wife remains by his side. His hilarious post-fight interview remarks will be a memory they’ll likely remember forever.

‘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, […]

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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.

Jun Yong Park Edges Brad Tavares in Entertaining Brawl – UFC Vegas 98 Highlights

Brad Tavares vs. Jun Yong Park - UFC Vegas 98 HighlightsJun Yong Park got back into the win column at UFC Vegas 98 with a big decision victory over…

Brad Tavares vs. Jun Yong Park - UFC Vegas 98 Highlights

Jun Yong Park got back into the win column at UFC Vegas 98 with a big decision victory over heavy-hitting veteran Brad Tavares.

30 seconds into the scrap, Tavares landed a straight right that put ‘The Iron Turtle’ on his back. Tavares moved in and quickly looked to lock in a rear-naked choke, but Park powered his way out and got back to his feet a minute later. The rest of the opening round was contested in the feet with both fighters swinging away.

Jun Yong Park

The second and third rounds saw both fighters slug it out, but takedowns late in the second and third rounds may have been the difference-maker on the scorecards.

Jun Yong Park

Official Result: Jun Yong Park def. Brad Tavares via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

After seeing his four-fight win streak snapped via a split decision against Andre Muniz in December, Park climbed back into the win column against Tavares. He has now won five of his last six and moved his UFC record to 8-3.

Jun Yong Park

Meanwhile, the veteran out of Hawaii dropped to 15-10 inside the Octagon. Tavares has now lost four of his last five, his only win during that run coming against former middleweight champion Chris Weidman at UFC 292.

Jun Yong Park

Check out highlights from Brad Tavares vs. Jun Yong Park at UFC Vegas 98:

Fight Night Backlash: UFC fans criticize event: ‘Card is actually horrific’

Fight Night Backlash: UFC fans criticize event: ‘Card is actually horrific’WIth the Octagon landing in the United States this weekend following a quickfire salvo in the Middle East –…

Fight Night Backlash: UFC fans criticize event: ‘Card is actually horrific’

WIth the Octagon landing in the United States this weekend following a quickfire salvo in the Middle East – the promotion’s UFC Vegas 98 has been hit with it’s vast share of criticizm, for an apparent card lacking real star power.

Returning to the Apex facility – the promotion will host a 10-fight card in ‘Sin City’ – with a rehashed heavyweight rematch booked to headline between two European talents.

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Fans revolt over UFC Vegas 98 card

Attempting to work his way back to contention, Polish veteran, Marcin Tybura matches with Moldova prospect, Serghei Spivac – in search of his second win over the former, having previously landed a unanimous decision win over four years ago.

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In the night’s co-main event, a bantamweight matchup between one-time main event feature, Chris Gutierrez, and Javid Basharat had fallen to the wayside, with Quang Le co-headlining against Gutierrez on short-notice.

Further down the admittedly lacklustre main card comes a matchup between former featherweight title challenger, Yana Santos, who takes on Chelsea Chandler – fresh from her own weight miss in her return to 135lbs.

And with just Santos holding prior title fight merit on the entire card – fans across the board have pointed to a potential snoozefest in the making for UFC Vegas 98 – even with a slightly earlier start time for North American and European viewers.

Marcin Tybura

“Oh my I just looked and that card is actually horrific,” A user posted on X.

“The card lost Kinoshita too right? Kinda of unwatchable this Saturday but they gave us a solid 304 card, a great Abu Dhabi FN and loads of announcements recently its a good weekend to take off from UFC ahead of 305 week.”

“Welp, that was the only great fight.”

“10 fight card big yikes.”

“Yeah, this card is a pass.”

“Well that’s decided then, I shall not be watching the fights.”