Tatsuro Taira is feeling like a champion following a dominant win at UFC Vegas 108.
Better than a champion, actually.
In Saturday’s flyweight main event at UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Taira completely outclassed Hyun Sung Park, submitting the short-notice replacement early in the second round with a neck crank to bounce back from his first-ever loss and improve his pro record to 17-1.
In his post-fight interview—with some prodding from cageside commentator Michael Bisping—Taira called for a fight with current flyweight king Alexandre Pantoja. He went on to further argue his case later in the evening.
“I can say 100 percent my skill is higher than the champion,” Taira said at the evening’s post-fight press conference via a Japanese translator.
Just 25 years old, Taira has impressed in his first eight UFC appearances, compiling a 7-1 record and earning himself a top 10 spot in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings. He was originally scheduled to face fellow contender Amir Albazi, but earlier this week Albazi was ruled out of Saturday’s event after not being medically cleared to compete.
Instead, Taira fought Park, who entered their matchup with a 10-0 record. Given his level of self-belief, it shouldn’t be surprising Taira wasn’t thrown off by the opponent change.
“The opponent changed,” Taira said. “It was Hyun Sung Park, I knew him from winning the Road to UFC, but I’m the best in the flyweight [division]. I’m very confident and I believe that I’m the best, so not a huge issue for me.”
Pantoja’s next title defense is expected to take place against Joshua Van, who is coming off of a spectacular decision win over Brandon Royval, the fighter who handed Taira his first loss. Asked if he expects to have to wait for the winner of the still-to-be-scheduled Pantoja vs. Van fight, Taira said he’d like to be booked for a fight on the same card as that matchup.
Taira pointed to the Royval loss as a pivotal moment in his young career and credited his team for his successful turnaround.
“From my last fight I learned my weakness,” Taira said. “But my team, everyone from my team still believed that I would be a champion, so I just kept working hard, promising that I’ll be back.”
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