Royval Fights Taira in UFC Vegas 98 Main Event

It’s the second weekend in October, meaning, among other things, that the nights are getting both longer and colder. With sunsets now occurring before 7 pm local time, people are getting home for the evening before darkness sets in outside. There’s no better way than to spend a fall night with the furnace going and the fireplace burning than to stay in your den and watch MMA.

Thanks to the UFC, this is a Saturday night where you can do just that. This weekend, just 72 hours away from the UFC Apex playing host to the season finale of Dana White’s Contender Series, the venue is the setting for UFC Vegas 98.

Live coverage of UFC Vegas 98 begins Saturday afternoon at 4 pm ET/ 1 pm PT on ESPN+ inside the United States with the prelims, followed by the main card at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT. All told, barring any late postponements or adjustments (Hurricane Milton has caused the withdrawal of Chris Barnett from his heavyweight fight against Junior Tafa), the final version of the show features a 13-fight card.

No. 1 Contender Status Up For Grabs in UFC Vegas 98 Main Event

The one and only all-ranked fight on the card occurs during the UFC Vegas 98 main event. No. 1 contender Brandon Royval (16-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC) meets up with No. 5 contender Tatsuro Taira (16-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC).

As with all UFC main events, this one is an advertised maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round to close the show.

This is why he’s a title contender 🫡

Watch @TatsuroTaira in the #UFCVegas98 main event this weekend!

[ LIVE Saturday on @ESPNPlus at 7pmET/4pmPT ] pic.twitter.com/WPT7EgkEh0

— UFC (@ufc) October 10, 2024

UFC Vegas 98 Main Event Fighter Comparison and Betting Odds

Heading into the UFC Vegas 98 main event on Saturday night, Brandon Royval stands as the taller man at 5-foot-9, compared to the 5-foot-7 frame of Tatsuro Taira. The latter owns a two-inch reach advantage (70 inches to 68 inches) over the former, while Royval has a half-inch leg reach advantage (38 1/2 inches to 38 inches even.)

Currently, the oddsmakers have Tatsuro Taira installed as a -300 favorite on the money line, while Brandon Royval counters as a +240 underdog. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening this weekend in MMA, please wager responsibly.

Royval Recounts Harrowing Moments in Utah During Media Availability

Brandon Royval has posted a record of 4-1 in his last five fights. Most recently, he scored a split decision victory over Brandon Moreno (21-8-2 MMA, 9-5-2 UFC) during the Feb. 24 UFC Mexico City main event.

Royval was in Salt Lake for last Saturday’s UFC 307, serving as a cornerman for Alexander Hernandez (15-8 MMA, 7-7 UFC) during the prelims. Hours before the fight, the men went for a walk and watched someone die.

“Yeah, there was a shooting that happened in Utah,” Royval told the media during his Wednesday availability. “It happened pretty much right in front of us. We’ve seen some crazy (expletive deleted.) Alex stood locked in, won his fight, and kudos for him on that. That was a lot to deal with first thing in the morning. Pretty much anything that could go wrong on that walk did go wrong.”

While his teammate stayed focused last week, Royval will himself need to stay focused this week against a tough opponent in the form of Tatsuro Taira in the UFC Vegas 98 main event.

Taira Hopes to Stay Undefeated

In the other corner, Tatsuro Taira has yet to lose thus far in his professional career. Counting amateur competitions, he’s undefeated at 25-0.

Most recently, he scored a second-round TKO (knee injury during a takedown) over Alex Perez (25-9 MMA, 7-5 UFC) during the June 15 UFC Fight Night from the selfsame UFC Apex that UFC Vegas 98 will take place. Much like his last fight close to four months ago, this fight is also a main event.

During his media availability, Taira said that the main event spotlight isn’t bothersome for him.

“I wouldn’t say (that I feel the) pressure (of the main event),” Taira said, through his translator. “I’m just focused on the opponent right here, Brandon Royval. I just want to enjoy the fight.”

Taira is fighting for his home country of Japan, which currently has no active UFC champions to its credit, on Saturday night. This is the most important 25 minutes (or less) of MMA in his career as he seeks a title shot with a victory in the UFC Vegas 98 main event.

Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction

Stylistically, the UFC Vegas 98 main event looks to favor Brandon Royval, a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, compared to Tatsuro Taira’s status as a purple belt in BJJ.

Look For Royval to Land The Big Shot

Brandon Royval has won 13 fights inside the distance. Thus, his mission is one of seek and destroy in the UFC Vegas 98 main event. As little as one big strike will end the night in a victory, as was the case in his 2016 fight against Danny Mainus in WSOF 29.

During the first round of the fight, Royval got dropped by Mainus and maintained his movement from the bottom position, stifling his adversary’s efforts up top. Upon getting back up to his feet, Royval began swinging away with punches, eventually scoring with a knee to the face to finish the contest.

If Brandon Royval comes out like a house on fire in the UFC Vegas 98 main event, look out, because it could be over in a hurry.

Taira Slick With Subs

In the other corner, Tatsuro Taira has a marvelous ground game. Just look at the tape from his fight against Jesus Aguilar from February of last year.

Midway through the opening round, after Taira jettisoned a guillotine attempt, he remained on top mount and grappled with Aguilar before rolling over to apply a triangle armbar submission. A verbal tapout ended the contest with under a minute to go.

Tatsuro Taira only needs one takedown to seize the momentum of the UFC Vegas 98 main event.

Final Thoughts

Get your popcorn ready for the UFC Vegas 98 main event on Saturday night. This should be a fun one.

Prediction: Tatsuro Taira by First-Round Submission.