UFC Fight Night Royval vs. Taira
Saturday, October 12UFC Apex - Las VegasLast week's event in Salt Lake City ended with a violent and bloody TKO. This Saturday, the UFC is back at the UFC Apex, in Las Vegas. These "Fight Night" cards don't necessarily have the biggest names but they almost always feature some exciting battles. Of course, they're much better if you've got someone to root for. On that note, let's take a look at some of our options. The Main Event
Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro TairaTaira -192The Main Event sees veteran Brandon Royval take on Tatsuro Taira. Both of these flyweights have 16 victories. Royval also has seven losses. Taira is undefeated. Hailing from Japan, Taira is still just 24 years old. A well-rounded fighter, he can win by knockout, submission or decision. The 32-year old Royval has fought much tougher opponents. An unorthodox fighter, he's off a (split) decision win over Brandon Moreno, avenging a 2020 defeat. Before that, he'd come up short, for the second time, against Alexandre Pantoja. That one also went to the scorecards. Prior to those two decisions, Royval had won three straight, a KO, a submission and a split decision. Royval is the taller fighter but Taira still has a healthy 5-inch reach advantage. Though older, Royval will likely have an edge in terms of conditioning. He's been in some wars and has proven to have good stamina. That may not matter much though, as the younger fighter could finish this one in the first or second round.
Prediction: Both fighters are versatile but Taira does everything better. He's one of Japan's rising young stars. With big fights in his future, he will remain undefeated after Saturday. Play on Taira The Co-Main EventJun Yong Park vs. Brad TavaresPark -170These middleweights were supposed to square off against each other back in July. Both fighters had already made weight but then Park had to pull out with an undisclosed injury. A few months later, they'll try again. The 36-year old Tavares (20-9) has been around a long time. As a matter of fact, he will set a record by competing in his 25th middleweight fight of his UFC career. That'll pass Michael Bisping for most total appearances in the weight class. Tavares also has a chance to tie Bisping for most wins in the division. Also, he could pass him in total Octagon time depending on how long Saturday's fight lasts. Indeed, he's been around the block. Over that time, Tavares has fought many of the best fighters, guys like Adesanya, Whittaker and Du Plessis. Though he beat Chris Weidman (well past his prime) last year, Tavares is off a loss and is 1-3 his last four fights, 3-4 his last seven. At 33-years old, Park is also an experienced fighter. "The Iron Turtle" checks in with a 17-6 record. His last fight was a split-decision loss in December 2023. That one easily could have gone his way. Before that, Park had won four straight. Both fighters have a tendency to "go the distance." Tavares has seen no fewer than 13 of his 20 wins (and four of his nine losses) go to the scorecards. Nine of Park's fights, including six of his victories, have been decided by the judges. Though it should be mentioned that each of his last three wins came via submission. Prediction: Tavares isn't what he used to be while Park could be 5-0 his last five if not for a controversial decision. Park typically likes to wait for the action to come to him and then looks to counter. Tavrares isn't exactly known for his aggression these days. This may lead a "snooze-fest" that ends up going the full 15 minutes. Regardless of whether or not that proves to be the case, "The Iron Turtle" will ultimate have his arm raised. Play on Park.The ShockerChris Barnett vs Junior TafaBarnett +300 Junior Tafa is a substantial favorite in this fight. He's 10 years younger. He's in better shape and he's the more skilled fighter. He's also lost two straight and is taking this fight on short notice. Chris Barnett, who was originally slated to fight Waldo Cortes Acosta, has been waiting two years to get back in the Octagon. He has 23 wins on his resume compared to five for Tafa. When guys are this big, one hit can change everything. Looking to get behind a "huge" underdog that could surprise? Play on Barnett.Off five straight wins,Will Rogers is now 18-2 with his UFC picks in 2024
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