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We're back to bring you another prediction and pick for the UFC Vegas 83 fight card as we continue our coverage of the Prelims. Our next fight takes place in the Flyweight (125) Division as we'll see surging prospect Tatsuro Taira face off against Chicago's own Carlos Hernandez. Check out our UFC odds series for our Taira-Hernandez prediction and pick.
Tatsuro Taira (14-0) has been perfect through his professional career and has gone 4-0 inside the UFC octagon. Two of those four wins have come by way of armbar submission and he has seven of them on his resume. He'll come in as one of the biggest betting favorites on the card and make the walk after a number of recently cancelled fights. Taira stands 5'7″ with a 70-inch reach.
Carlos Hernandez (9-2) has gone 2-1 in his UFC bouts since earning a contract on Dana White's Contender Series. While he suffered his first loss just two fights ago, he rebounded with a solid win over Denys Bondar during his last fight. He's still fresh in this game, but he's got a ton of potential and could do great things for his stock if he's able to silence the hype behind Taira. Hernandez stands 5'8″ with a 67-inch reach.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC Vegas 83 Odds: Tatsuro Taira-Carlos Hernandez Odds
Tatsuro Taira: -600
Carlos Hernandez: +425
Over 1.5 rounds: -195
Under 1.5 rounds: +150
How to Watch Tatsuro Taira vs. Carlos Hernandez
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET/ 4:30 p.m. PT (Prelims)
*Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
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Why Tatsuro Taira Will Win
Tatsuro Taira has looked pretty flawless during his UFC fights thus far and his stock has risen tremendously since his UFC debut. After two back-to-back armbar submission wins, Taira faced his toughest test last fight when he fought a very game Edgar Chairez. While he couldn't get the finish, Taira cruised to a unanimous decision victory and displayed some of his toughness over the three rounds. He'll face a similar style of fighter in Carlos Hernandez and he'll undoubtedly have the stern grappling advantage in this one.
As indicated by the betting odds, Tatsuro Taira will be the better fighter in all areas of this fight. He's the flashier striker and can land from a ton of different angles, but he'll have to keep his defense up and avoid the straight shots of Hernandez. He's often leaned on his grappling as a last resort during his fights, but Taira should look to wrestle with Hernandez and get him on the ground in this one. His takedown defense isn't great and he hasn't had to spend much time grappling with opponents. If Taira can make his opponent uncomfortable, he should be able to force him into a mistake and walk away with the win.
Why Carlos Hernandez Will Win
Carlos Hernandez is a very tough, scrappy fighter and it's hard to count him out at any point of the fight. He has very clean boxing combinations and while he doesn't throw his shots with a ton of power, he's very accurate in finding the chin and stringing together combinations when his opponents are hurt. Again, he hasn't had to grapple much up to this point and would prefer to keep this fight standing. Hernandez certainly isn't as flashy of a striker as Taira, but his consistency and technicality could pose some issues if Taira is lazy with his defense.
To win this fight, Carlos Hernandez will have to keep coming forward and not let the shots of Taira affect him too much. Taira is very good with sensing when his opponent is hurt and jumping on them for the finish. To be successful here, Hernandez will have to put a game face on and not let the shots of Taira visibly affect him. If he can keep walking forward through the fire, it'll discourage Taira from opening up even more as Hernandez tries to turn it into a dog fight. Don't be surprised if he tries to break Taira with his pressure in the third round.
Final Tatsuro Taira-Carlos Hernandez Prediction & Pick
Any time we get to see Tatsuro Taira fight is an exciting one and we should see him putting his skills on full display here. He's been the massive betting favorite in all of his fights and this one will be no different. As long as he can keep Hernandez' pressure at-bay and keep this fight at a safe distance, he should have enough room to open up his striking and find his rhythm early.
For our prediction, we'll roll with Tatsuro Taira to get this win. All of his finishes have come in the first or second rounds, so expect him to start fast once again in this one. Carlos Hernandez is a very tough opponent and it'll be difficult to get him out in the first, so let's take Tatsuro Taira to win in the second round of this fight.
Final Tatsuro Taira-Carlos Hernandez Prediction & Pick: Tatsuro Taira (-575); Wins in Round 2 (+350)
