UFC books Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira to headline October event

A big flyweight fight is getting the five-round main event treatment.

At the UFC Fight Night card Oct. 12, top contenders Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira will collide in a headlining scrap at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie on Thursday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. X user @realkevink first reported the news.

Royval (16-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC) is riding high off an upset victory over Brandon Moreno in February. Royval took the main event bout on short notice and defeated Moreno, a former champion, in his native Mexico.

A fast rising star, Taira (16-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) steps into his second promotional main event. The 24-year-old Japanese phenom has finished four of his six UFC appearances to date, including his most recent bout vs. Alex Perez in June.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for Oct. 12 includes:

• Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira
• Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Josh Fremd
• Grant Dawson vs. Rafa Garcia
• Cody Garbrandt vs. Miles Johns
• Themba Gorimbo vs. Niko Price
• Jared Gooden vs. Chidi Njokuani
• Clayton Carpenter vs. Lucas Rocha
• Cory McKenna vs. Polyana Viana

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for the UFC Fight Night on Oct. 12.