UFC Vegas 98: Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira Prediction, Odds, and Picks (October 12)
- Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira is the main event of UFC Vegas 98.
- Royval is a former UFC Flyweight title challenger who’s No. 1 in this division.
- Tatsuro Taira is 16-0 overall with six wins since joining the UFC.
Our Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira prediction is that the UFC Vegas 88 headliner bout is going to be a real thriller. It’s got to be as this fight is probably going to determine the next title challenger.
Royval is sitting top of the UFC Flyweight Rankings, while Taira is the only Top 15 flyweight in the UFC who’s got a 100% win rate. Obviously, the winner of Royval vs. Taira fight at UFC Apex would be more than deserving of a title shot.
So, who will it be?
Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira Odds
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Brandon Royval | +180 |
| Tatsuro Taira | -210 |
When, Where, and How to Watch?
- Place: UFC Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada
- Date: Saturday, October 12, 2024
- Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: ESPN+
Fight Preview
Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira are both very well-rounded fighters, but they prefer different fighting styles. Royval is someone who always aims for a finish. He throws plenty of strikes at his opponents, as well as makes a lot of submission attempts. The result is that 13 of his 16 career wins happened inside the distance.
The downside of such a fighting style is that he gets hit a lot. So far, however, it hasn’t hurt him much, but it might against Taira, who’s a fantastic striker. The Japanese rising star is also very fast, which makes it difficult to hit him.
He likes landing a lot of takedowns, after which he usually goes for ground-and-pound. This will probably be his fight plan for the duel with Royval given that Raw Dog isn’t great when it comes to defending against takedowns – his TD defense is just 40%.
The problem with this approach is that taking down Royval brings along the risk of getting submitted. Considering that this guy has 9 wins by submission in his CV, such a scenario looks plausible.
Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira Prediction
Even though Taira’s odds suggest he’s going to win the UFC Vegas 98 main event, we think that this fight is basically a coin toss. Each fighter has weapons that can finish the other one, which is why we wouldn’t be surprised if Royval upset the odds.
Free Pick:
- Brandon Royval
