Is Tatsuro Taira the new kid at 125?
🇯🇵 Will Japan finally get their first UFC champion?
Tatsuro Taira defeated Alex Perez at UFC Vegas 93. The fight ended oddly when the knee of Alex Perez went out as Tatsuro Taira was on his back. Taira looked good and had some good answers on the day but was it his big breakout like we were hoping?
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Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:38 Tatsuro Taira’s big break?
6:13 Alex Perez’ bad luck is back
9:23 Lucas Almeida wins, kinda
11:39 Asu Almabayev is fun
Tatsuro Taira may get the big rankings boost after his win over Alex Perez at UFC Vegas 93. But is this his breakout performance? With the nature of the finish, I think he’s still a win or two away from actual title contention. Mokaev, Erceg, and Kara-France are three options for the Japanese fighter and all could get him where he wants to be. Tatsuro Taira’s answers to Alex Perez’ attack were great. He couldn’t get the takedown early but utilized the clinch to punish him for his blitzes.
Alex Perez was on such a good run. But now with his knee going out the way it did, he may be back to his injured ways. Three fights since March has been unheard of for Alex Perez. But the ending really did put a damper on what could be the end of his career.
Lucas Almeida managed to get three knockdowns and still couldn’t finish his opponent. It was an uninspiring performance.
Lastly, we will talk about Asu Almabayev. He took on Jose Johnson, a six foot flyweight, and put on a great grapple-heavy win. He managed to get in on the lanky Jose Johnson and Asu Almabayev cruised to a unanimous decision win.