Brandon Royval didn’t expect to go the distance with Tatsuro Taira, but the goal of securing victory and handing his opponent his first career loss was accomplished.
The flyweight bout was the UFC Fight Night 244 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The incredible 25-minute bout left the judges split. The former title challenger Royval (17-7 MMA, 7-3 UFC) was announced as the winner over Taira (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), with dueling 48-47 scores.
Royval set the tone in the opening round with crisp striking, both when leading behind a speedy right jab and catching Taira with sharp counters. Taira responded with a solid offense, connecting in a flurry that led to a takedown.
Early in Round 2, Taira brought the fight to the mat again after smartly kicking off the fence while clinched. On the ground, he locked in a body triangle, allowing him to hunt for a rear-naked choke and land punches while Royval attempted to scramble.
With the fight even after 10 minutes, the game plans were apparent. Royval knew he couldn’t afford to be taken down again.
At his corner’s advice, Royval went to work quickly with sharp punching, putting Taira in trouble on the feet. As Taira attempted to give himself space to reset, Royval poured on the pressure and continued to land big strikes.
ROYVAL HAD TAIRA HURT #UFCVegas98 pic.twitter.com/fCBKzdg7i8
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 13, 2024
Despite being severely threatened, somehow, Tiara found his way onto Royval’s back and slapped on a tight rear-naked choke. The horn may have saved Royval in an otherwise dominant round.
Just 30 seconds into Round 4, Taira was in on the hips, working to get the fight to the ground. He was successful and once again threatened chokes and landed punches and elbows, keeping the fight on the mat for most of the round.
Going into Round 5, the fight was seemingly up for grabs. Taira was able to take it to his comfort zone on the ground, but this time, Royval was able to reverse the position to get back to his feet. Sharp punches connected for Royval, prompting Taira to shoot in. Royval reversed again and threatened his own submissions to close out the fight on a strong note.
While the fight was a split decision, it was not the final round that decided the fight. Instead, Round 1 was the deciding frame, as judge Sal D’Amato scored it for Taira.
"I thought I was going to take him to school."@BrandonRoyval's night went a little differently than he expected. #UFCVegas98 pic.twitter.com/xExOlBbwXO
— UFC (@ufc) October 13, 2024
Royval, 32, called to be next up for a title shot after UFC 310, where Alexandre Pantoja will look to defend against UFC newcomer Kai Asakura.
“I get that f*cking title shot next,” Royval said during his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “I get that title shot next. I’ll be the backup. Kai Asakura, I’m going to Japan, I’m taking that sh*t. If Pantoja wins it, I’m going to Brazil and I’m taking that sh*t.
“Title shot next. That’s the only f*cking discussion. I beat everybody in the top 5 of the f*cking division. Who the f*ck else?”
If granted, it will be Royval’s second attempt to claim the UFC flyweight title. His first shot was against Pantoja at UFC 296, but he came up short on the wrong end of a unanimous decision.
Taira, 24, suffers the first loss of his professional career. He was previously unbeaten through six fights under the UFC banner.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 244 results include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 244.
