Former flyweight title challenger Brandon Royval handed Tatsuro Taira the first loss of his young MMA career with a split decision victory in the main event of UFC Vegas 98.
Royval’s cardio proved to be too much for Taira, who was unable to find success on the feet. The Japanese sensation bagged the second and fourth rounds on the judges’ scorecards with takedowns and ground control time. “Raw Dawg” closed the fight in dominant fashion and outstruck Taira 124 to 42 in significant strikes.
The bout was awarded “Fight of the Night.” It was Royval’s fifth bonus in nine UFC fights and Taira’s fourth in seven fights.
Here’s who should be next for these top flyweights:
Brandon Royval
Despite losing a lopsided decision to champion Alexandre Pantoja less than a year ago, Royval was adamant about getting another crack at the belt in his post-fight interview.
Since coming up short against Pantoja, Royval has escaped with split decision wins over Brandon Moreno and Tatsuro Taira. He has cemented his place at the top of the flyweight division, but it feels like neither the UFC nor the fans want to see him face Pantoja for a third time after being dominated in the first two fights.
Pantoja will defend the belt against UFC newcomer Kai Asakura in December at UFC 310. Royval would have a better argument for a title shot if Asakura wins. If Pantoja retains the throne, and especially if Amir Albazi beats Brandon Moreno in the coming weeks, don’t be surprised if Royval is forced to fight down in the rankings once again.
Matchup: Royval vs. Asakura OR Kara-France 2
Tatsuro Taira
Taira may have lost for the first time, but I really don’t think his stock dropped much. He displayed impressive grappling and was able to maintain control of Royval and threaten submissions for most of rounds two and four. He was behind in the striking, but he landed some quality shots.
It’s difficult to predict who his opponent will be with the current state of the flyweight division, but it should start to become clearer after some key matchups take place at UFC Edmonton and UFC 310.
While it’s possible that Taira, who is currently ranked fifth at flyweight, will fight a lower-ranked opponent next, I’d argue that he should face the loser of Brandon Moreno vs. Amir Albazi.
Matchup: Taira vs. Moreno OR Albazi
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