UFC Vegas 108: Tatsuro Taira versus HyunSung Park continues on the prelims with a fight between Tatsuro Taira and HyunSung Park in the flyweight division on Saturday. Check out our UFC odds series for our Taira-Park prediction and pick.
Tatsuro Taira (16-1) looks to rebound after a razor-thin split decision loss to Brandon Royval in October, a five-round thriller that earned Fight of the Night honors. Prior to that, Taira showed off his finishing instincts by stopping Alex Perez via TKO in round two. Now, he seeks redemption against Park this Saturday night.
HyunSung Park (10-0) extended his perfect record with a first-round rear-naked choke submission of Carlos Hernandez at UFC Fight Night: Burns vs. Morales in May. Before that, Park stopped Shannon Ross with a barrage of knees and punches in round two. Now, Park seeks another impressive finish against Tatsuro Taira this Saturday night.
Here are the UFC Vegas 108 Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC Vegas 108 odds: Tatsuro Taira-HyunSung Park odds
Tatsuro Taira: -355
HyunSung Park: +280
Over 3.5 rounds: -105
Under 3.5 rounds: -125
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Why Tatsuro Taira will win
- Last Fight: (L) Brandon Royval – DEC
- Last 5: 4-1
- Finishes: 12 (5 KO/TKO/7 SUB)
Tatsuro Taira comes into this fight off his first pro defeat at the hands of former title challenger Brandon Royval via split decision. He was initially slated to face off against Amir Albazi, but Albazi had to withdraw due to injury. Now Taira gets to face off against fellow Asian prospect HyunSung Park, making this the first-ever UFC main event with two fighters from Asia squaring off.
Taira has had a ton of success inside the octagon, racking up a 6-1 UFC record with four of those six wins coming by finish (3 submissions). He does his best work on the mat, where he has notched seven of his 16 victories via submission. However, that doesn't mean he is lost on the feet as he has exceptional distance management with dangerous long-range attacks.
We've seen Taira possess fight-ending power when he knocked out Carlos Hernandez, but it will be the ground game that's going to be his path of least resistance when he takes on the surging Park. As long as Taira can utilize his in-and-out movement to keep the fight at bay and then time his takedowns to take Park to the mat, he can take over when he gets it there.
While Park is just 3-0 in the UFC, he is no slouch, but Taira's experience and deadly submission game should take him over the top to get himself the win and back into title contention.
Why HyunSung Park will win
- Last Fight: (W) Carlos Hernandez – SUB R1
- Last 5: 5-0
- Finishes: 9 (4 KO/TKO/5 SUB)
HyunSung Park didn't have a fight lined up until a few weeks ago when he got the call to face off against Steve Erceg after Alex Perez withdrew due to injury at UFC Vegas 109. Park landed in Las Vegas earlier this week to get ready for his fight in two weeks but after Albazi's withdrawal, the UFC gave him an opportunity that he couldn't refuse.
Now Park gets to step into his first-ever UFC main event spot just four fights into his UFC career, showcasing the UFC's high thoughts about his potential. This certainly will be no easy task, but it's not one that Park can't overcome when he takes on the highly touted Tatsuro Taira this weekend.
Park has a striking arsenal that will help with really taking the fight to Taira, bringing that forward pressure on the feet. Being that this fight will be in the smaller octagon at the UFC Apex will help him close the distance to land his heavy strikes.
It will be up to Park to hammer the lead leg of Taira to hinder his movement throughout a five-round fight as well as take away the blast double-leg takedowns that he likes to employ.
Park can definitely compete with Taira on the mat, but it will be in his best interest to utilize that grappling to keep this fight standing. If he's able to do so, we could potentially see Taira get finished for the first time in his professional career.
Final Tatsuro Taira-HyunSung Park prediction & pick
Japan's Tatsuro Taira takes on South Korea's HyunSung Park in a fantastic matchup between two of the biggest rising stars in Asian MMA. This fight has the makings of being a barn-burner right from the beginning, and the way these two are all action, it's very hard to see this fight going all 25 minutes.
Taira was touted as the next big thing out of MMA when he made his UFC debut, but with Park on the rise, there is a new top prospect that's looking to make a name for himself. Expect things to be closely contested early on, but it will be Park's ability to scramble back to his feet and land power shots that will be the difference maker.
In the end, Park fends off the grappling onslaught of Taira, starts to tag him eventually wearing him down, and then puts Taira away midway through the fight to get the biggest win of his UFC career and putting his name right into the title mix already.
Final Tatsuro Taira-HyunSung Park Prediction & Pick: HyunSung Park (+280), Under 3.5 Rounds (-125)
