Tatsuro Taira placed himself in the title mix on UFC Vegas 108, and he predicted the fight that can determine who he challenges.
All eyes were in the flight weight division at the UFC Fight Night on Saturday, when the highly recommended Taira returned to the main event to compete with the South Korea in Hyung Sung Park in a short-term matchup.
The Japanese star bounced back from his close loss of Brandon Royval last time -out in style and served Park for 66 seconds in round two with a face crank.
With that, Taira ruled his push in the direction of the throne. And when he arrives there, the 25-year-old apparently expects the current king to still rule.
Tatsuro Taira reveals what Alexandre Pantoja will win the fight against Joshua van
Alexandre Pantoja stood opposite Joshua van after his successful title defense against Kai Kara-France on UFC 317 last June. Van defeated Royval on the same night to make the victories at Back-to-Back Pay-per-Views for the rising Burmese hunter.
It is not surprising that the matchup is now set to mark the fifth defense in the reign of Pantoja, of which success has seen the Brazilian fast approach to the Legendary Territory on the largest stage in MMA.
Against Van, Taira expects 'the Kannibal' will come a step closer to the many records of Demetrious Johnson in the 125-pound division. And if everything goes according to plan, the UFC Vegas 108 Headline Victor will be there and then meet Pantoja.
“(The way in which I got up) and has adopted that title extraction, very surprising,” Taira told MMA who fought before his victory on 2 August.
“But I get a lot of inspiration from him, also gives me a lot of energy. So I am excited to see how that fight goes (against Pantoja).
“I will wait to see who wins between Pantoja and Van and hopefully I get the next shot,” Taira continued. “Pantoja has proven a lot. It will certainly be a Jiu-Jitsu vs. Boxing Battle. I think Pantoja's Jiu-Jitsu will win the fight.”
Tatsuro Taira was once booked to fight Joshua van
Taira is well placed to view the expected title challenge of Van, after he had previously prepared to fight against the 23-year-old himself.
The Japanese competition was briefly tailored to Van Voor UFC 302, an event that is characterized by the entry of Islam Makhachev on Dustin Poirier in June 2024.
The plans changed a few weeks after Taira vs. Van Was announced and the first instead led a UFC fighting evening on the Apex against Alex Perez in his next fight.
In the meantime, Charles Johnson was eliminated. While that result left him far from the title photo, five straight victories have accelerated 'The Fearless' to the top, including three this calendar year.