Tatsuro Taira and HyungSung Park have their work cut out for them. The flyweight fighters headline a UFC Fight Night on Saturday, struggling to build interest.
Taira (16-1) was originally set to fight fellow darkhorse contender Amir Albazi. The main event lost its luster after Taira and Albazi were felled by veteran flyweights Brandon Royval and Brandon Moreno, respectively, but had division relevance. Albazi withdrew during fight week, leading unranked “Road to UFC” winner Park to step up on short notice. Park vowed to knock out Taira, drawing the ranked fighter’s ire.
“I would say this will be the first time Park will be fighting against a fighter at my level,” Taira said at Wednesday’s media day through a Japanese interpreter. “Likely in the first round, he would understand that what he said was a mistake.”
Park (10-0) took the fight on short notice, but was preparing to make a splash in the official UFC flyweight rankings. Park pivoted from a fight with Steve Erceg (No. 10) to fight Taira (No. 6) one week earlier. Park has finished his five fights under the wider UFC umbrella, and can be a major threat if his finishing ability scales against elite fighters.
“I am definitely better at striking,” Park said through a Korean interpreter. “I will overwhelm him with strikes and break him down… You will realize it’s a mistake in the first round.”
Saturday’s card is painfully dull. Mateusz Rebecki vs. Chris Duncan is a fine fight, but nowhere near appropriate for a co-main event. The most recognizable names on the main card are struggling welterweight veterans Neil Magny and Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos.
Below is the rest of the fight card for Saturday with the latest odds before we predict the main event.
UFC Fight Night card, odds
| Tatsuro Taira -360 | HyungSung Park +275 | Flyweight |
| Mateusz Rebecki -220 | Chris Duncan +180 | Lightweight |
| Esteban Ribovics -260 | Elves Brener +210 | Lightweight |
| Karol Rosa -195 | Nora Cornolle +165 | Women’s bantamweight |
| Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos -200 | Neil Magny +170 | Welterweight |
| Kevin Vallejos -425 | Danny Silva +330 | Featherweight |
UFC Fight Night viewing information
Date: Aug. 2 | Start time: 9 p.m. ET (main card)
Location: UFC Apex — Las Vegas
TV channel: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Start watching, save $20!)
Prediction
Tatsuro Taira vs. HyungSung Park: Normally, the more experienced fighter would instill confidence. However, the flyweight division’s lack of depth allows for sudden turnovers. Taira didn’t get to No. 6 in the division by beating titans. He gave Royval a tremendous fight, but fell short in his first major test. Park has superior striking defense and hits harder than Taira. Park might struggle with Taira’s grappling, but the unknown fighter hasn’t relinquished a takedown in the UFC. If Park can fend off Taira’s grappling, I think he can find the finish within three rounds. Park via KO3
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