UFC Vegas 98 was an intriguing night of fights as top flyweights Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira headlined the card inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Click here to watch No. 1-ranked flyweight contender Brandon Royval speak to media after his split decision victory over Tatsuro Taira. Footage via ‘MMA Junkie’ on YouTube.
UFC Vegas 98 Main Event: Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira
UFC Vegas 98’s main event featured top ranked flyweights in a title eliminator five rounder as No. 1-ranked Brandon Royval (17-7-0) and No. 5-ranked Tatsuro Taira (16-1-0) engaged in a closely contested bout.
This flyweight five-rounder was a thrilling display of the full spectrum of mixed martial arts. Royval and Taira showcased a variety of striking techniques, takedowns, and submission attempts, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats.
Looking at the numbers, the young and formerly undefeated Taira was outlanded 3 to 1 in significant strikes throughout five rounds.
Taira found most of his success in the takedown game, where he consistently got to the back of Royval. From there, Taira could notch almost nine minutes of control time.
Royval survived the young and talented grappler’s dangerous submission threats. In rounds 2 and 4, Taira accumulated 8 minutes of control time.
However, Royval dominated rounds 3 and 5 in the striking aspect as Taira looked outmatched on the feet against the former title contender.
As the fight drew to a close, the tension was palpable. In the end, the majority of the judges gave Royval the edge in this UFC Vegas 98 main event, a decision that was met with both anticipation and relief.
Result: Royval via split decision
UFC Vegas 98 Co-main Event: Brad Tavares vs. Jun-yong Park
UFC Vegas 98’s co-main event showcased a three round showdown between unranked middleweights Brad Tavares (20-11-0) and Jun-yong Park (18-6-0).
This UFC Vegas 98 co-main event featured a duel between unranked middleweights as Jun-Yong Park secured a split-decision victory over Brad Tavares.
The fight opened with Tavares landing clean counterpunches on the pressuring Park. These were heavy punches that Park was forced to respect the danger of.
Tavares eventually edged the first round by landing more clean punches.
However, the fight shifted that point forward as Jun-Yong Park kept his foot forward while striking the UFC veteran Tavares.
Park capped off his advantageous final two rounds with victory-sealing takedowns. He also notch nearly the entire third round for control time.
Result: Park via split decision
Other Fights on UFC Vegas 98
Main Card:
- (170 lbs.) Chidi Njokuani (24-10-0) vs. Jared Gooden (23-10-0): Njokuani via Decision
- (155 lbs.) Grant Dawson (22-2-1) vs. Rafa Garcia (16-4-0): Dawson via KO/TKO R2
- (170 lbs.) Daniel Rodriguez (18-5-0) vs. Alex Morono (24-11-0, 1NC): Rodriguez via Decision
Prelims:
- (125 lbs.) Cj Vergara (12-6-1) vs. Ramazonbek Temirov (18-2-0): Temirov via KO/TKO R2
- (145 lbs.) Jonathan Pearce (14-6-0) vs. Pat Sabatini (18-5-0): Sabatini via Submission R1
- (170 lbs.) Themba Gorimbo (14-4-0) vs. Niko Price (16-8-0, 2NC): Gorimbo via Decision
- (265 lbs.) Junior Tafa (6-3-0) vs. Sean Sharaf (4-1-0): Tafa via KO/TKO R2
- (W 115 lbs.) Julia Polastri (13-4-0) vs. Cory McKenna (8-4-0): Polastri via Decision
- (135 lbs.) Dan Argueta (9-3-0, 2NC) vs. Cody Haddon (8-1-0): Haddon via Decision
- (125 lbs.) Clayton Carpenter (8-0-0) vs. Lucas Rocha (17-2-0): Carpenter via Submission R2
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