Tag: Tatsuro Taira

Young Blood: The 17 youngest fighters on the current UFC roster

The UFC recently signed the youngest fighter in company history. Here are the 17 fighters 23 years and under in the UFC.

When Dana White offered [autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag] a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series, he made history.

Rosas’ signing is impending, which will make him the youngest fighter in UFC history at just 17. He is also the only teenager on the roster and one of only 17 fighters 23 years old or younger.

Thirteen of said fighters have already made their promotional debuts, while Rosas and three other recent signees eagerly await their first UFC walks.

Scroll through the list below to see the 17 youngest fighters in the UFC.

UFC books rising Japanese prospect Tatsuro Taira against C.J. Vergara

The UFC continues to fill out its October schedule.

Rising Japanese flyweight [autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag] has his second UFC assignment.

Taira (11-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) will take on former Fury FC flyweight champion [autotag]C.J. Vergara[/autotag] (10-3-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) on Oct. 15. The event does not currently have a publicly announced location or venue.

Multiple people confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie after Taira’s manager, Jason House, of Iridium Sports Agency, announced the fight in an interview with The Underground.

Taira, 22, signed outright with the UFC in early 2022. He debuted in May when he defeated former CES MMA standout and Dana White’s Contender Series alumnus Carlos Candelario via unanimous decision.

Vergara, 31, punched his ticket to the UFC with a win on DWCS in September with a knee TKO against Bruno Korea. He made his debut in November and lost a unanimous decision to Ode Osbourne. In May, he picked up his first UFC victory when he defeated Kleydson Rodrigues by split decision.

With the addition, the UFC lineup for Oct. 15 includes:

  • Jonathan Martinez vs. Cub Swanson
  • Askar Askarov vs. Brandon Royval
  • Sam Hughes vs. Piera Rodriguez
  • Tatsuro Taira vs. C.J. Vergara

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Unbeaten prospect Tatsuro Taira hopes next fight in front of crowd after UFC on ESPN 36 win

Tatsuro Taira wants a bigger stage after UFC on ESPN 36.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag] wants a bigger stage after UFC on ESPN 36.

Taira (11-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) scored a lopsided win over Carlos Candelario Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, where his grappling and striking skills were on full display en route to a unanimous decision.

The 22-year-old unbeaten Japanese prospect enjoyed his experience at the UFC Apex, but he wants to perform in front of fans for his next fight.

“Singapore is too soon, so maybe not,” Taira told reporters at the UFC on ESPN 36 post-fight press conference on fighting at UFC 275. “But I’d like to have an audience next time, and the Apex was really good, it was really fun. Just like very entry, going to elementary school.”

He continued, “I hope I can have maybe one, at least, or two fights in 2022 this year.”

Although Taira went the distance for just the third time in 11 professional wins, he had Candelario in some bad positions and finished the fight off in dominant position on the ground.

“I had a couple of chances to finish it, but basically the opponent was tough, and he just slipped away,” Taira said. “So I just realized that this is my current level, so I will train more, and I will be stronger, and I’m gonna come back again.”

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Photos: UFC on ESPN 36 weigh-ins and faceoffs

Check out these photos of the UFC on ESPN 36 official weigh-ins and faceoffs in Las Vegas.

Check out these photos of the UFC on ESPN 36 official weigh-ins and faceoffs at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. (Photos by Ken Hathaway, MMA Junkie)

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past two weeks (April 18-May 1)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past two weeks.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from April 18-May 1.

Japanese standout Tatsuro Taira set to make UFC debut April 30 vs. Carlos Candelario

Undefeated 22-year-old Tatsuro Taira has his first UFC assignment in front of him.

Rising undefeated Japanese star [autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag] has his first UFC assignment.

At UFC Fight Night on April 30, Taira (10-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will make his promotional debut against fellow newcomer and former CES MMA standout [autotag]Carlos Candelario[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in a three-round flyweight bout.

The event takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams on ESPN+.

Two people with knowledge of the booking recently confirmed the matchup to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. The fight first appeared on UFCStats.com.

Taira, 22, is the Shooto flyweight champion. Out of his 10 professional wins, Taira has finished eight opponents, including five submissions and three knockouts. Notable wins include Ryuya Fukuda, Kiyotaka, Shimizu, and Yamato Takagi.

As for Candelario, the Connecticut-based fighter became the first athlete to receive a UFC contract after a loss on Dana White’s Contender Series. Against Victor Altamirano, Candelario lost a decision. However, UFC president Dana White disagreed with the judges and awarded both fighters UFC contracts instead.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for April 30 includes:

  • Cortney Casey vs. Antonina Shevchenko
  • Gina Mazany vs. Shanna Young
  • Francisco Figueiredo vs. Daniel da Silva
  • Mike Breeden vs. Natan Levy
  • Gabe Green vs. Yohan Lainesse
  • Jessica Penne vs. Luana Pinheiro
  • Rafael Alves vs. Jared Gordon
  • Carlos Candelario vs. Tatsuro Taira

UFC signs Tatsuro Taira, undefeated Japanese flyweight standout

The UFC doesn’t sign many non-DWCS or non-short-notice fighters these days, but Tatsuro Taira is an exception.

Japan has a new representative on the UFC roster.

Undefeated flyweight prospect [autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag] has signed a multifight deal with the UFC, his management Iridium Sports Agency announced Friday. His debut is expected for late April with an opponent to be announced in the coming days.

Taira (10-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is the Shooto flyweight champion. Out of his 10 professional wins, Taira, 22, has finished eight opponents including five submissions and three knockouts. Notable wins include Ryuya Fukuda, Kiyotaka, Shimizu, and Yamato Takagi.

With his addition to the roster, there are now four Japanese fighters on the UFC roster. Taira joins country-people welterweight Takashi Sato, and women’s strawweights Mizuki Inoue and Kanako Murata.

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