UFC Vegas 108: Taira bounces back with impressive finish at UFC APEX

Japanese flyweight contender Tatsuro Taira produced an impressive display to defeat HyunSung Park and keep himself firmly in the title picture at 125 pounds.

Taira was originally set to face No. 4 contender Amir Albazi in a fight that could have moved him significantly closer to a title shot, but after Albazi was ruled out through injury, undefeated South Korean prospect Park stepped in.

It meant Taira faced a dangerous test with a much smaller upside as he looked to bounce back from his split-decision loss to Brandon Royval last October.

But, despite the late change of opponent, Taira performed like a title contender as he dominated the action before finishing his man with a face-crank submission in the second round.

Taira’s win keeps him in the mix at the sharp end of a busy-looking flyweight division, and means his next bout looks set to come against top-five opposition, and could even see him handed a title eliminator bout.

In the co-main event, Scotland’s Chris Duncan continued his excellent form with a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over Mateusz Rebecki. The two lightweights duelled back and forth for three thrilling rounds, with Duncan’s heavier strikes helping him to scores of 29-28, 29-28, 30-27 as he improved his record to 14-2.

Duncan and Rebecki shared “Fight of the Night” honours with Esteban Ribovics and Elves Brener, who served up an instant classic of their own as they traded leather in 15 minutes of all-out striking. Argentina’s Ribovics emerged as the unanimous decision victor with scores of 29-28, 30-27, 30-27, but both men, as well as Duncan and Rebecki, departed Vegas with $50,000 bonuses for their efforts.