Who’s Next for Taira Amid Royval Fight at Apex?

After 17 professional fights, the formerly undefeated Tatsuro Taira (16-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) finally met his match. Taking on onetime flyweight title challenger Brandon Royval (17-7 MMA, 7-3 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 244, the Japanese contender came up short in a competitive five-round title eliminator, suffering his first defeat. However, while he may have lost a shot at the strap, along with his perfect record, Taira demonstrated a considerable amount of heart that not only earned the respect of his opponent, but the entire MMA community. 

Being forced back to the drawing board, Taira will need to regain some momentum before he can hope to challenge for the 125-lb. title. Unfortunately, most of the division’s other top five are either already tied to upcoming bouts, or are recovering from their previous trips to the cage. This means Taira will have to wait for another top name to become available, or take on someone farther down the rankings. 

Now, let’s take a look at who Tatsuro Taira should fight next. 

The loser of Brandon Moreno vs Amir Albazi

Coming up next month, former champion Brandon Moreno (21-8-2 MMA, 9-5-2 UFC) makes his return to action after nine months to take on Amir Albazi at UFC Fight Night 246. Whoever falters in this matchup would make a perfect adversary for the rebounding Taira. Well regarded for his striking and immeasurable amounts of tenacity, Moreno could give the Japanese a lot of trouble in the stand up department, who did show some holes on the feet against Royval.     

In Albazi (17-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC), however, Taira will surely find himself being tested in the area he normally dominates: grappling. Throughout his career, the Iraqi has demonstrated superb wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu abilities, racking nine submission victories in total. To put it simply, Taira will need to be on guard at all times, lest the Xtreme Couture standout lands the pivotal takedown and catches his neck. 

Kai Kara-France 

Logging a blistering first round knockout over Steve Erceg in his last outing to the cage at UFC 305, Kai Kara-France (25-11 MMA, 8-4 UFC) is easily a juggernaut in the 125-lb class. With his trademark forward aggression and heavy hands, the New Zealander emphatically snapped a two fight losing streak with his starching of “Astro Boy.”

During his short time in the UFC, Taira has stood toe-to-toe with and willingly engaged some of the hardest-hitting flyweights on the planet such as Edgar Cháirez, CJ Vergara, Alex Perez, and most recently Brandon Royval. Opposite “Don’t Blink,” though, the Japanese would stand better to use his exceptional grappling to force the fight to the ground, considering the success that Amir Albazi had against Kara-France in their 2023 contest. 

The winner of Matheus Nicolau versus Asu Almabayev

This Saturday, top-15 divisional contenders Matheus Nicolau and Asu Almabayev will battle for a chance to soar further up the 125-lb. rankings. Regardless of who comes out on top, both competitors present some big challenges for Taira.

Currently embarked on his second stint in the UFC, Nicolau (19-4-1 MMA, 7-3 UFC) brings a wealth of top-level experience into his bouts, as well as a sterling resume topped off with victories over Manel Kape, Tim Elliot, David Dvořák, and Matt Schnell. Although he is in the midst of a two-fight skid, Nicolau is still a crafty veteran that more than has the tools to give Taira a rough night in the Octagon if he isn’t careful.

The latest in a surge of high-caliber fighters coming out of Kazakhstan, Almabayev (20-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has looked nothing short of unstoppable since his debut back in August of 2023. On the outset, a matchup between Taira and “Zulfikar” would be a world-class showcase in the wrestling arts, a showcase that the Japanese surely will have to fight tooth-and-nail to come out on top.