UFC Fight Night: Tatsuro Taira holds the edge against Alex Perez in battle of contrasts

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Fight Night this weekend will have two contrasting fighters taking each other on in the main event.

Tatsuro Taira from Japan, despite being just five fights old in the UFC circuit, has made a name for himself by carrying an unbeaten streak that includes three finishes (one by submission and two via knockouts).

On the other hand, Alex Perez, a well-oiled machine who made his UFC debut way back in 2017, holds a finishing rate of just over 50 percent and a nice split of six knockouts and seven submissions.

Perez has seen his fair share of main events, including a title fight back in 2020, where he suffered a first-round loss against Brazil’s Deiveson Figueiredo.

But for Taira, the bout at the UFC Apex in Nevada is his biggest test thus far. It will be his first-ever main-event fight.

“I’m very excited for my first main event. But that didn’t hamper my concentration, and I’m in the best mental state I could possibly be in. So, looking forward to it,” said Taira in an exclusive interaction with  Sportstar.

When quizzed about the stress that comes with maintaining his win streak, he said, “I wouldn’t say the win streak adds any unnecessary pressure, but of course I pressurise myself before every fight that I don’t lose. So, this isn’t something new to me.”

The disparity is not just limited to the experience of these two fighters; their recent run of form is polarising as well.

Taira has not lost a fight thus far in the UFC, while Perez’s record has been bumpy. His most recent win over Matheus Nicolau earlier in April was his first victory in four years. This, coupled with Perez’s injury-proneness, gives Taira a psychological edge heading into the fight.

“I wasn’t aware of the past fights of Perez, but I know he suffered an injury that led to the cancellation of one of his previous bouts. If the injury is still there, that could be to my advantage. I’ve experienced it before,” said the 24-year-old.

Taira has not only improved on his technique but has also worked on his composure inside the ring. “I’m not actually clear about how my personality is inside the bout,” he said.

“But one thing is for sure: when people meet me outside the ring, they usually ask, ‘Are you really a fighter? You don’t even look like one’ but when they see me inside the ring, they actually see who I really am. So, I think I have a dual personality of sorts. I may not be fully understanding myself, I guess,” the Okinawa-born fighter added.

Although there has never been a UFC champion from Japan, the Octagon has seen some of the top fighters from the nation, such as Takanori Gomi, Kid Yamamoto, “Mach” Sakurai, and Hall of Famer Kazushi Sakuraba. Taira hopes to create a legacy of his own and popularise the promotion in Japan.

“My ultimate goal is to bring the UFC championship belt to Japan. There are not many Japanese fighters in the UFC, and thus the popularity is proportional. I’ll give you an example. If I’m in the United States and I go to an immigration line at the airport, a lot of people recognise me instantly. But not so much in Japan. I hope things change back home, and I want to help the UFC’s popularity grow in Japan,” he said.

But at the moment, Taira will be raring to add yet another fight to his win column come June 16, keep his momentum intact, and aim to breach into the top 10 flyweight rankings.