The Incredible Career of a Flyweight Juggernaut

Despite coming off a disappointing setback in his last UFC tilt, Taira appeared better than ever by dismantling the then unblemished Park in just under ten minutes. While his emphatic triumph in Vegas might have come off as a surprise to some, the success that he has garnered on the biggest stage in combat sports is the result of nearly ten years of hard work. Having been tempered by stern opposition in his native Japan, Taira’s ascension in the UFC can only be described as a foregone conclusion.  

Tatsuro Taira: Early Beginnings and Amateur Career

Born in Naha, Okinawa, Japan on January 27, 2000, Tatsuro Taira’s fascination with sports began in a more traditional fashion, taking up baseball while still in elementary school but eventually dropped it once he hit junior high. He then took his first steps into the realm of the fighting arts after being inspired by his brother, who was training kickboxing at the time at The Palaestra Okinawa, a mixed martial arts gym founded by Japanese icon Yuki Nakai. Joining the establishment himself in high school, Taira came under the tutelage of Ryota Matsune, known by veteran fans as one of the best bantamweight competitors to ever come out of the country. 

Taking his first amateur contest in 2016, Tatsuro Taira took home the victory in his debut with a unanimous decision over Kinjo Eitaro. Making just one appearance in the cage that year, he returned in force in 2017, competing eight times over a period of five months, winning all of his matches, scoring two separate Shooto flyweight championships. 

After an unblemished run as an amateur, Taira made the switch to the professional ranks in late 2018, netting a first round tap out over Yo Otake. For the next three years, he would continue to fight almost solely under the Shooto banner, accumulating a record of 10-0. It was during this time period where he also began dabbling in several different weight classes, including strawweight and bantamweight. Making the permanent move back to flyweight in 2021, Taira ended his time in Shooto by claiming their 125-lb strap, exiting the promotion as one of their greatest athletes. 

Tatsuro Taira’s Early UFC Run, Steady Climb Up the Flyweight Rankings

Recording one last first round submission win at Vale Tudo Japan 2021, Tatsuro Taira received his invitation to join the UFC later that next year, making his much-anticipated debut at UFC Vegas 54. Locking horns with Carlos Candelario, the Japanese prodigy came out on top in his freshman Octagon outing with a stellar unanimous decision.

While he easily nailed his promotional debut in impressive fashion, Taira’s performance didn’t quite put him on the radar of pundits and UFC fans yet. Competing in his second bout with the company five months later, he went up against C.J. Vergara, a man who hadn’t been stopped in over four years. Although his opponent missed weight by two pounds, the Japanese still accepted the match anyway, taking out the American in the second round with an armbar. He also earned his first Performance of the Night bonus. 

Embarking on a dominant warpath through the division, Tatsuro Taira went on to fight three more times over the next year. In that stretch of time, he defeated notable divisional standouts like Jesús Santos Aguilar, Edgar Chairez and Carlos Hernandez, finishing both the former and the latter by submission and TKO respectively. 

Tatsuro Taira: Becoming Contender, First Loss, Current Status

Now undeniable as the next top prospect in the category, Tatsuro Taira was booked to contend for his place in the 125-lb rankings opposite the highly-experienced Alex Perez, a man who has shared the cage with strong names such as Joseph Benavidez, Deiveson Figueiredo and Alexandre Pantoja. Taking the match to the second round, Taira took Perez’s back while he was standing up before ending the fight brutally after forcing him to the ground, injuring his knee.

Securing his place in the top 15, Taira was set to trade blows with the toughest test of his career at the time in previous title challenger Brandon Royval, who was coming off a monumental victory over two-time flyweight champion Brandon Moreno. In what would net both men Fight of the Night honors, the scrap ended up going the full 25-minute distance, with Royval getting his hand raised by split decision to hand Taira the first loss of his combat sports tenure. 

The setback was a disappointing one for the young Tatsuro Taira, who seemed to gas out in the later rounds of the fight. Eager to improve on the mistakes he made in his last trip to the Octagon, he took his first assignment of 2025 against fellow grappling ace Amir Albazi. That was until the Iraqi dropped out of the match because of injury, leaving the door open for a hungry HyunSung Park to move in on Taira as a late replacement.

Regardless of who was standing in front of him that night in Las Vegas, Taira demonstrated a staggering amount of growth from his tussle with Royval, dropping the South Korean in the first stanza before completing the stoppage in the second with a face crank. 

Now firmly back in the win column, Tatsuro Taira has resumed his immaculate run toward title contention after dominantly stealing the coveted zero of Park. Although all signs seem to point toward current flyweight gold standard Pantoja taking on Joshua Van sometime later on in the year, the Japanese phenom has more than made a case for himself.

Should Taira manage to topple the seemingly invincible Brazilian, then he will go down in combat sports history as the first competitor from Japan to win a UFC championship.