Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Taira vs Park
Laying Out The Lineup For Saturday’s Return To The UFC APEX
By E. Spencer Kyte
For the first time in two months, action returns to the UFC APEX this weekend for a fight card laced with competitive fights across eight divisions.
Headlined by a flyweight pairing between Tatsuro Taira and HyunSung Park, Saturday’s fight card offers an opportunity to get a closer look at a handful of emerging competitors along with key matchups in a couple divisions.
Main Event: Tatsuro Taira vs HyunSung Park
This weekend’s main event underwent a late makeover, as Tatsuro Taira will now face off with undefeated Road to UFC winner HyunSung Park.
Taira was handed the first loss of his career last October in a competitive and entertaining matchup with Brandon Royval. The 25-year-old Japanese talent is 16-1 overall, headlining for the third consecutive contest, and remains one of the top young talents in the flyweight ranks.
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A perfect 10-0 to begin his career with each of his last three wins coming inside the distance in the UFC, Park was scheduled to face former title challenger Steve Erceg next week, but instead gets called in to replace Amir Albazi here. The South Korean has outstanding grappling and a keen finishing instinct, having posted finishes in each of his last nine wins.
An outstanding pairing between two exceptional young talents, this clash becomes a measuring stick moment for each athlete. For Taira, it’s a chance to show he’s very much in the thick of the chase in the flyweight division and a step ahead of Park, while the 29-year-old Team MMA Story representative can show that he too deserved to be mention amongst the division’s elite if he can secure a fourth straight UFC win and 11th consecutive victory overall.
Additional Main Card Matchups
Mateusz Rebecki vs Chris Duncan
European lightweights and Dana White’s Contender Series grads occupy the co-main event position this weekend as Poland’s Mateusz Rebecki faces off with Chris Duncan of Scotland.
Rebecki rebounded from his first UFC setback with a split decision win over Myktybek Orolbai last October at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi, with the duo taking home Fight of the Night honors for their efforts. The powerhouse grappler has gone 4-1 to begin his UFC tenure, with his loss to Diego Ferreira last year halting a 16-fight run of success.
Duncan touches down in Las Vegas on a two-fight winning streak, having earned consecutive submission wins over Bolaji Oki and Jordan Vucenic. Just like his opponent, “The Problem” is a member of the DWCS Class of ’22 and has also gone 4-1 over his first five UFC starts to advance to 13-2 overall for his career.
It’s going to be interesting to see how this one ends up playing out, as both men have shown equal willingness to keep things standing or take things to the ground. Rebecki is the more decorated grappler of the two, while Duncan brandishes the greater power in his hands, but neither will feel uncomfortable in any setting, which should make for an entertaining scrap once the two men step in with one another this weekend.
Elves Brener vs Esteban Ribovics
All-action lightweights land on to the two fights that make up the middle of this weekend’s main card, as Elves Brener and Esteban Ribovics face off in what should be a barnburner for as long as it lasts.
A member of the Chute Boxe Diego Lima squad, Brener opened his UFC run with consecutive wins over Zubaira Tukhugov, Guram Kutateladze, and Kaynan Kruschewsky to carry a ton of momentum into his sophomore year in the Octagon last year. Unfortunately, things went sideways for the 27-year-old Brazilian, as he dropped a decision to Orolbai at UFC 301 before getting stopped by Spanish finisher Joel Álvarez in early August.
Since dropping his promotional debut, Ribovics has established himself as must-see TV each time he makes the walk, opening last year with a rapid knockout win over Terrance McKinney before pairing off with Daniel Zellhuber in one of the best fights of 2024 at UFC 306 inside Sphere. Earlier this year, the Argentinian landed on the wrong side of a split decision verdict against Nasrat Haqparast, earning Fight of the Night honors for a second consecutive appearance.
Someone is going to get things moving in the right direction again while the other will have to contend with the crushing feeling of another defeat. Figuring out who lands where is sure to be thoroughly entertaining.
Karol Rosa vs Nora Cornolle
Karol Rosa and Nora Cornolle share the Octagon in this matchup of ranked bantamweights aiming to make headway in the wide-open division.
Now in her seventh year on the roster, Rosa continues to struggle with consistency, having alternated wins and losses over her last eight fights. Last time out, the Brazilian veteran dropped a unanimous decision to Ailin Perez at UFC 311.
The 35-year-old Cornolle has gone 3-1 over her first four UFC appearances, entering Saturday’s contest off a second-round submission win over Hailey Cowan at UFC 314. Unfortunately for the French fighter, she’s missed weight in each of her last two victories, adding a little asterisk to what were otherwise outstanding showings.
Separated in the rankings by two spots, the winner of this one has the opportunity to potentially thrust themselves into the thick of things in the 135-pound weight class, as only the very top of the division feels solidified at the moment. The winner will likely occupy a place in the Top 10 when the rankings update, and could very well find themselves facing someone with a single digit next to their name next time out.
Neil Magny vs Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
Neil Magny and Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos lock up in a matchup of veteran welterweights looking to steady themselves in the ultra-competitive weight class.
A longtime staple in the Top 15, Magny has dropped out of the rankings as a result of consecutive losses and a 1-3 record over his last four fights. While he’s continued to face elite competition and turn back hopefuls that haven’t quite been ready for prime time, Magny, who turns 38 on Sunday, is looking to avoid the first three-fight slide of his career.
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Much like Magny, Zaleski dos Santos has struggled to find routine positive results of late, entering with a 1-2-1 record over his last four and a 4-4-1 mark through his last nine appearances. Last time out, the Brazilian was felled by Chidi Njokuani, marking just the second time in his UFC career that he’s been stopped.
Which of these two stalwarts will right the ship and who will be left still looking for answers?
Danny Silva vs Kevin Vallejos
Featherweights with just a single setback on their resumes open the main card this weekend, as Danny Silva and Kevin Vallejos share the Octagon in Las Vegas.
A graduate of Season 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series, Silva has earned four straight wins, including split decision triumphs in each of his first two UFC appearances. Training under Cub Swanson, the 28-year-old has sharp boxing fundamentals and solid power, stamping him as an intriguing name to track in the 145-pound weight class.
In a class flush with exciting prospects, Vallejos might have the most promise of anyone from the DWCS Class of ’24. The 23-year-old Argentine is 15-1 overall, having earned a first-round stoppage win over SeungWoo Choi in his promotional debut and with his lone setback coming against Jean Silva (yes, that Jean Silva) on Season 7 of the annual talent search series.
Featherweight is loaded with emerging names and these two are very much near the top of that list. Expect a spirited striking battle right out of the chute and to learn a great deal about where each man stands in both their development and the division once the smoke clears.
Preliminary Card Pairings
Rinya Nakamura vs Nathan Fletcher
Rinya Nakamura and Nathan Fletcher face off in this bantamweight battle of fighters that matriculated to the Octagon through the talent-search series.
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Nakamura, who won the bantamweight competition on the first season of Road to UFC, returns for the first time since getting bounced from the ranks of the unbeaten in January when he lost to Muin Gafurov. A contestant on Season 32 of The Ultimate Fighter, Fletcher won his promotional debut against fellow TUF alum Zygimantas Ramaska, but landed on the wrong side of a split decision verdict last time out against Caolan Loughran.
Rodolfo Vieira vs Tresean Gore
Middleweights seeking a return to the win column clash here as Rodolfo Vieira meets Tresean Gore in an intriguing preliminary card pairing.
Vieira had a tidy two-fight winning streak halted back in February, dropping his record to 5-3 inside the Octagon. The same can be said of Gore, who earned consecutive wins over Josh Fremd and Antonio Trocoli before running afoul of Marco Tulio at UFC 314 in Miami.
Nick Klein vs Andrey Pulyaev
Nick Klein and Andrey Pulyaev square off here in a middleweight battle of recent DWCS grads.
Klein wrapped up last season with a first-round win over Heraldo Souza before running into the streaking Mansur Abdul-Malik in Seattle earlier this year. Pulyaev earned his place on the roster by pushing his winning streak to five last season, but then lost in his first UFC start against Christian Leroy Duncan.
Rafael Estevam vs Felipe Bunes
It’s an all-Brazilian battle in the flyweight division as Rafael Estevam and Felipe Bunes share the Octagon on Saturday.
The 28-year-old Estevam enters with an unblemished professional record, having earned victories in each of his first two UFC appearances to advance to 13-0 for his career. Bunes landed opposite surging contender Joshua Van in his promotional debut, but rebounded with a slick first-round submission win over Jose Johnson last time out.
Piera Rodriguez vs Kelten Souza
Piera Rodriguez and Ketlen Souza meet in this clash of strawweights looking to establish where they stand in the talent-rich 115-pound weight class.
Rodriguez halted a two-fight skid with a dominant decision win over Josefine Knutsson on the final fight card of 2024, moving her to 3-2 inside the Octagon and 10-2 overall. Souza earned a pair of wins last year, including a punishing first-round “club and sub” finish of Yazmin Jauregui, but landed on the wrong side of the cards against Angela Hill earlier this year.
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