Tatsuro Taira: UFC Vegas 93 could be his big break
Perfect in his career thus far, Tatsuro Taira has a massive opportunity this weekend. Sitting at 13 in the rankings, the Japanese standout puts his perfect 15-0 record on the line against a surging Alex Perez and looks to capture a spot inside the division’s top ten, if not top five. But Perez is no easy out as seen in his last two fights against Muhammad Mokaev and Matheus Nicolau.
But Taira is up for the challenge. Starting his career in Shooto, Taira’s run to the UFC has been swift and decisive.
Tatsuro Taira: The Finisher
At his core, Tatsuro Taira is a finisher. With his perfect record comes only four decisions. The 24-year-old has accumulated four knockouts and a lethal submission game that’s notched him seven submission wins, nearly half of his total wins.
It’s the varied nature of his submission game that stands out, however. Taira is always attacking when he gets the fight to the ground. His most common finisher is the rear naked choke and the triangle which accounts for two of his seven submission wins each.
Training out of The Paraestra Okinawa in Japan, Taira also has wins via front choke, armbar, and most notable a triangle armbar against Jesus Aguilar in the UFC. On the ground, Taira is lethal as they come.
A sign you know Taira is a good grappler:
Takes the back and immediately uses his hook to turn Vergara so Taira's hook is on bottom
That stops Vergara from sliding out and Taira can lock the figure 4The trip was real nice too pic.twitter.com/5xpxad7l9q
— William – Open Note Grappling 📝 (@OpenNoteGrapple) June 13, 2024
As seen in the post above, Taira is incredibly skilled at getting to the ground where he can finish a fight. Fighters like Roman Dolidze and Brian Ortega are fantastic on the ground but lack the ability to getting to where they do their best work. Taira makes sure to put his best foot forward when it comes to getting the fight to the ground.
The late addition: knockouts
While Tatsuro Taira has managed to score a couple knockouts in Shooto, it’s been all ground and pound. In his last fight, he changed that tune. Taira took on Carlos Hernandez and scored a brutal second round knock down with a magnificent left hook.
This makes Taira dangerous. If he’s a wizard on the ground, the common thought is to keep the fight standing. Except now, Taira can seemingly put your lights out.
Becoming a well-rounded fighter is what makes good fighters great. Georges St-Pierre from the past and Islam Makhachev now, all have went from a specialist to the most well rounded fighters in their division. For Tatsuro Taira, who is only 24, doing that early will provide for a meteoric rise for the Japanese sensation.
What’s on the line
Fighting fifth ranked Alex Perez is a huge step up in completion for Tatsuro Taira. Due to pullouts and his short time with the promotion, Taira has not beat a ranked opponent yet. His thirteenth rank has been based on merit from his actions in the octagon.
Alex Perez is ranked number five. He’s fought some of the best that the UFC’s flyweight division has to offer. Alexandre Pantoja, Deiveson Figueiredo and Joseph Benavidez have all beat Perez, but they’re among the best the division has seen.
He knocked out Matheus Nicolau. Went tit for tat with Muhammad Mokaev. He’s notched wins over Jussier Formiga and Jose Torres. The UFC brass thinks highly of Alex Perez’ skills as a fighter despite his history with missing events for one reason or another.
What does it say about Taira that they’re putting him, an unproven prospect with immense upside potential, against a battle tested Alex Perez who once challenged for the title?
The UFC is hot on Tatsuro Taira. Giving him the opportunity to face Alex Perez would allow him to pole vault many of the division’s higher ranked fighters. Big names in front of him, like Steve Erceg and Manel Kape, would go from looking down at Taira in the rankings to looking up and trying to get their shot at his higher ranking.
Tatsuro Taira may not need this win, because time is on his side. But going out and actually winning would make Taira’s path to the title that much more quicker. These types of rises are what the UFC loves from a fighter: show up, fight, win, and advance.
