UFC Vegas 98 preview: ‘Royval vs. Taira’ main, co-main event predictions

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is just one day away from the upcoming UFC Vegas 98 mixed martial arts (MMA) event, which is set to go down tomorrow night (Sat., Oct. 12, 2024) on ESPN+ from inside APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC Vegas 98 features a flyweight main event between Top 5 title contenders Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira, a five-round headliner with major title implications for early 2025 and beyond.

Before we dive into the main and co-main event, which includes the middleweight showdown between Brad Tavares and Jun Yong Park, check out Andrew Richardson’s “X-Factor” breakdown for the rest of the UFC Vegas 98 main card by clicking here. Get all the latest “Royval vs. Taira” odds and betting props courtesy of FanDuel right here. For UFC Vegas 98 live results and play-by-play click here.

125 lbs.: Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira

Brandon “Raw Dog” Royval
Record: 16-7 | Age: 32 | Betting line: +235
Wins: 4 KO/TKO, 9 SUB, 3 DEC | Losses: 1 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 5 DEC
Height: 5’9” | Reach: 68” | Stance: Southpaw
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 4.33 | Striking accuracy: 36%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.42 | Striking Defense: 46%
Takedown Average: 0.47 (60% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 40%
Current Ranking: No. 1 | Last fight: Split decision win over Brandon Moreno

Tatsuro Taira
Record: 16-0 | Age: 24 | Betting line: -290
Wins: 5 KO/TKO, 7 SUB, 4 DEC | Losses: 0 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 0 DEC
Height: 5’7“ | Reach: 70” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 3.56 | Striking accuracy: 65%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 1.70 | Striking Defense: 47%
Takedown Average: 2.35 (47% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 62%
Current Ranking: No. 5 | Last fight: Technical knockout win over Alex Perez

After an electric run through the ranks of Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA), Brandon Royval migrated to the UFC roster in early 2020, pretzeling veteran flyweight Tim Elliott to capture the “W” in his Octagon debut. That victory is part of an impressive 6-3 run with four finishes and he’s only lost to two opponents: current flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja and former 125-pound titleholder Brandon Moreno — though “Raw Dawg” did manage to avenge that loss by splitting “Assassin Baby” earlier this year in Mexico City. Royval is a high-volume striker with dreadful accuracy but what he lacks in precision he more than makes up for in frequency. For this weekend’s contest, where the Coloradan defends his top spot in the division rankings, Royval will have to turn up the heat and overwhelm his opponent, who does not have the ferocity of “Raw Dawg” but does have the cleaner, more refined technique. Royval will have a two-inch advantage in height but surrender two inches in reach.

There’s also the matter of Royval’s mental state after witnessing a fatal shooting in Utah.

“I can’t really speak to anybody or speak to anybody else, but I felt like I’ve found myself in a lot of sh*tty situations, and I’ve been around a lot of sh*t that happens,” Royval told reporters at the UFC Vegas 98 media day. “I feel like I’m a little bit of a sh*t magnet. So I’m not really unfamiliar with some weird sh*t like that. But not necessarily a shooting like that, but I did CPR like a week before on another dude in a car accident. So it’s been a crazy month. I would stay as far away from me as possible to be completely honest. It’s been a crazy month. I’ve been threatened by crackheads, done CPR, been in a car accident, and the f*cking shooting and seeing someone die. Anyways. Probably stay away from me this week.”

Tatsuro Taira has an opportunity to resurrect the Japanese MMA scene as it pertains to UFC. Many of Japan’s top fighters have crossed over to the Octagon and come up short, like Yushin Okami, Yoshihiro Akiyama, and Takanori Gomi, among others. The promotion has certainly taken its sweet time bringing Taira to the head of the class and this weekend’s headliner represents a considerable upgrade in competition. Outside of his victory over No. 6-ranked Alex Perez, which ended by way of second-round injury, Taira has not faced anyone ranked in the Top 15 at 125 pounds. By comparison, eight of Royval’s nine opponents are currently ranked inside the Top 15, which includes the current champion. It’s also worth noting that Taira is still just 24 and may not yet be competing in his fighting prime, taking on a 32 year-old veteran with experience against the best in the world.

“I definitely want to show a big impact,” Taira told reporters at the UFC Vegas 98 media day. “I definitely want to show my strength. That’s something I want to show in this fight. I’m definitely focused on this one, but thinking of title fights, I’ve always dreamed and thought about the title fights. It’s something that I always have in mind. I’d love to have UFC back in Japan, and if I’m the star, I want to be that star to bring that back to Japan.”

There’s a possibility that Royval tries to strike from range or outmaneuver his Japanese foe, in which case I think he gives the fight away. There’s also the possibility that Taira leans on his newfound clinch game to shut down “Raw Dog’s” fists of fury. I have a sneaking suspicion Royval steps on the gas and makes this fight ugly, overwhelming Taira with high-volume, high-pressure offense, forcing the flyweight future star to fold midway through the fight.

Prediction: Royval def. Taira by technical knockout

185 lbs.: Brad Tavares vs. Jun Yong Park

Brad Tavares
Record: 20-9 | Age: 36 | Betting line: +164
Wins: 5 KO/TKO, 2 SUB, 13 DEC | Losses: 5 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 4 DEC
Height: 6’1“ | Reach: 74” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 3.38 | Striking accuracy: 43%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.15 | Striking Defense: 55%
Takedown Average: 0.78 (26% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 81%
Current Ranking: Unranked | Last fight: Technical knockout loss to Gregory Rodrigues

Jun Yong “Iron Turtle” Park
Record: 17-6 | Age: 33 | Betting line: -198
Wins: 5 KO/TKO, 6 SUB, 6 DEC | Losses: 1 KO/TKO, 2 SUB, 3 DEC
Height: 5’10“ | Reach: 73” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 4.53 | Striking accuracy: 50%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.30 | Striking Defense: 53%
Takedown Average: 1.83 (50% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 57%
Current Ranking: Unranked | Last fight: Split decision loss to Andre Muniz

Brad Tavares is a good example of how to carve out a successful UFC career without being in a position to make a run at the division title. The Hawaiian keeps an active fight schedule, wins more often than not, and carries himself professionally both inside and outside the cage. Now 36, Tavares is looking to break out of a slump, having dropped three of his last four. That includes his technical knockout loss to Brazilian wrecking ball Gregory Rodrigues at UFC Vegas 86 back in February. Tavares does everything good but nothing great and more than half his wins have come by way of decision. That said, you could probably make the same assessment about his “Sin City” opponent, middleweight “Turtle” Jun Yong Park.

“He’s very well-rounded and puts MMA together,” Tavares told reporters at the UFC Vegas 98 media day. “I don’t think he’s a specialist or an expert anywhere, and obviously he doesn’t have the kickboxing or boxing accolades, the wrestling or even the jiu-jitsu. But he does put them all together well. He’s a very complete MMA fighter. I think his biggest attribute is his toughness, just how tough he is.”

“I’ve watched him in fights where you think, ‘Okay, this guy is done’ and he pulls it out, very similar to (middleweight champion) Dricus (Du Plessis),” Tavares continued. “But I don’t think he’s nowhere near as dangerous as Dricus. Honestly, I think that he’s going to want to go to the ground where he feels like he has his best advantage. But if it ends up being a kickboxing (fight), I’ll take that all day.”

Jun Yong Park has yet to compete in 2024 thanks to a medical withdrawal earlier this year when he was first paired against Tavares at UFC Vegas 94 in July.

So what the heck happened?

“So there was a small scar or small scratch on the back of my ear, and the physician said it was staph infection, so the fight got canceled, unfortunately,” Park told reporters at the UFC Vegas 98 media day. “It was kind of whack. I told (Tavares) what happened and I was sorry. We both cut weight, and we were both looking forward to this, and unfortunately, it didn’t happen. Brad was very understanding. Things happen, you know?”

Like Tavares, Park was also obliterated by Gregory Rodrigues when they went to war at UFC Vegas 41 in late 2021. Park rebounded to capture four straight wins — three by submission — before dropping a split decision to Andre Muniz at UFC Vegas 83. “The Iron Turtle” is a notoriously tough out and is the kind of middleweight who will lace ‘em up against anyone in the 185-pound division.

“I’m a company man and I’ll fight whoever the UFC says,” Park continued. “When I got the contract and it said Brad Tavares again, it was just another day at the job. Nothing really changed for the gameplan. It’s the same opponent. I’m the same guy. The only thing that’s changed is we are going to cut weight twice for this fight.”

These fighters are very similar in style and will likely cancel each other out, though it remains to be seen how much Park uses his wrestling. When push comes to shove, particularly across a three-round affair, it’s hard to pick against a war horse like Tavares.

Prediction: Tavares def. Park by decision

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the UFC Vegas 98 main card predictions RIGHT HERE.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 98 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card matchups which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining main card balance on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 98 news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive here. For the updated and finalized “Royval vs. Taira” fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.