5 things to watch out for at UFC Fight Night: Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira
This weekend sees the UFC return to the Las Vegas APEX. The card on offer isn't the strongest Fight Night event, but overall, it could still be pretty solid.
UFC Fight Night: Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira features a potential top contender bout in the flyweight division, as well as some other exciting fighters. Whether this event ends up being memorable at all remains to be seen, but with any hope, it'll prove worth watching.
Here are five things to watch out for at UFC Fight Night: Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira.
#5. Can Abdul Razak Alhassan's crazy knockout run continue?
Abdul Razak Alhassan has been in the UFC for a long time now. 'Judo Thunder' made his octagon debut back in 2016 and has fought on 13 occasions there since.
With a record of 6-6-1, it's pretty clear now that the native of Ghana will never be a title contender in either the middleweight or welterweight divisions. However, he's been kept around for the simple reason that, win or lose, his fights tend to be wild, violent affairs.
Most notably, all of Alhassan's 12 career wins - including his six in the octagon - have come via KO or TKO. Even his lone no contest in his last fight with Cody Brundage essentially saw him knock out his foe, albeit with illegal blows.
So can 'Judo Thunder' continue this incredible run this weekend? All the signs point to yes.
Historically, he's largely been able to beat opponents who were less athletic than him, and Josh Fremd would fall into that category. More importantly, Fremd has already suffered one loss in the octagon via TKO.
Essentially, the matchmakers have picked the perfect opener here, as Alhassan is likely to either finish Fremd quickly, or end up being finished himself. It should be a very watchable fight and could lead to Alhassan's fourth $50k bonus.
#4. Grant Dawson will be hoping to get back into contention with a win
This time last year, Grant Dawson was on one of the best runs in the UFC's lightweight division. 'KGD' was riding a nine-fight unbeaten streak since earning his contract via Dana White's Contender Series, and looked well positioned to climb into title contention.
To say he made a mess of his first headline bout, though, would be an understatement. Dawson appeared to freeze under the big lights, and was knocked out by Bobby Green in just 33 seconds.
'KGD' has rebounded since by beating the overmatched Joe Solecki, but due to his low-key nature, he's likely to need at least a couple more wins to get back to where he was pre-Green meeting.
Dawson will be hoping to get one of those wins this weekend when he faces Rafa Garcia. 'Gifted' is a solid fighter on a two-fight win streak, but he's never beaten someone on Dawson's level and has tended to lose his bigger fights.
Therefore, 'KGD' is probably worth a bet this weekend if you're a gambling type, and it feels likely that he'll pick up the finish he missed against Solecki, too. If he can do that, then he'll definitely be on the road to recovery.
#3. It might be all or nothing for Daniel Rodriguez
Fortunes can flip suddenly in the world of the UFC, and perhaps no fighter right now would know about that more than Daniel Rodriguez.
As recently as 2022, 'D-Rod' looked like a possible dark horse title contender at welterweight. After winning six of his first seven fights, the largely insane UFC 279 saw him make a big step up against Li Jingliang, and he outpointed 'The Leech' to break into the top 15 for the first time.
Since then, though, Rodriguez has slipped not only from the rankings, but from the forefront of most fans' minds too. 'D-Rod' is currently on a three-fight losing streak, dropping fights to Neil Magny, Ian Machado Garry, and Kelvin Gastelum.
Sure, there's no shame in losing to any of those three, but the defeats did suggest Rodriguez had hit his ceiling.
This weekend, then, could be the last chance saloon for him. If he fails to defeat journeyman Alex Morono, then it wouldn't be a surprise to see him released from his contract entirely.
'D-Rod' should be able to beat Morono all things considered, as 'The Great White' is a hard-nosed brawler who has tended to lose to his tougher opponents. However, he's definitely capable of pulling off an upset - just ask Donald Cerrone.
Therefore, Rodriguez will almost certainly have his back to the wall this weekend, making this fight a key one to keep an eye on overall.
#2. Can Brad Tavares and JunYong Park justify their spot?
Even by the standards of the APEX UFC Fight Night cards, this weekend's event has an odd choice for the co-headliner.
The promotion could easily have gone with Daniel Rodriguez vs. Alex Morono, or Grant Dawson vs. Rafa Garcia, as both bouts feature fighters who were recently ranked in the top 15.
Instead, the middleweight clash between Brad Tavares and JunYong Park has taken the slot in a real head-scratcher.
It isn't that Tavares or 'The Iron Turtle' are bad fighters. Tavares has been around the UFC since 2010 and is a real survivor, while Park has won seven of his nine bouts in the octagon.
However, neither man is all that fun to watch, particularly when they're not against a higher-end opponent, and Tavares in particular rarely finishes his foes. More importantly, neither man is close to being ranked at 185 pounds right now.
Essentially, it's going to take something unusually wild for these two to justify their spot on this card, and it feels like a fool's hope that they'll actually produce that.
#1. Can Tatsuro Taira live up to the hype as the UFC's new Japanese superstar?
The fighter with the most hype coming into this weekend's event is definitely Tatsuro Taira.
The flyweight prospect will face Brandon Royval in the headliner, and a win could well propel him into a title bout in 2025.
Given that Taira is currently 16-0, with six of those wins coming in the octagon, it's easy to see why he's been tipped by many as having the potential to become the UFC's first Japanese champion.
However, it's also arguable that Taira is still a little untested. Five of his six UFC wins have come over lower-level opponents, and while his last win came over former title challenger Alex Perez, it also had a caveat of sorts.
Sure, Taira won the bout via TKO, but that stoppage was due to a knee injury. It's true that the Japanese star caused the injury with a takedown, but whether that would've been the case nine times out of ten is debatable.
If Taira can take out 'Raw Dawg' this weekend, then there's absolutely no question about his abilities and he'll definitely be ready for Alexandre Pantoja. Seeing whether he can do so - or whether he's overhyped - is the main thing to watch this weekend.