Hyun Sung Park will get the biggest fight of his life when he takes on Tatsuro Taira in the main event of UFC Vegas 108 this weekend.
The South Korean fighter was bussed in at the last minute after Amir Albazi wasn’t medically cleared to fight Tatsuro Taira in the planned main event.
On short notice, Hyun Sung Park cancelled his fight with Steve Erceg next week to face the Japanese fighter in the main event, hoping to pull off a huge upset victory in just his fourth UFC bout.
Taira is coming off the first defeat of his career at the hands of Brandon Royval in October last year, and will be motivated to bounce back and stake his claim as a top Flyweight in the division.
The Bloody Elbow staff has made their predictions about what will happen in the main event of UFC Vegas 108 between Taira and Park.
Tatsuro Taira vs Hyun Sung Park predictions
Kyle Diamond – Hyun Sung Park might be one to watch, but I’m not quite ready to say he can hang with some of the top fighters in this division right now. I expect a very standard Tatsuro Taira performance of him wearing him down before getting a finish.
PREDICTION: TATSURO TAIRA VIA GROUND AND POUND TKO
Harvey Leonard – Tatsuro Taira boasts a much different threat than Steve Erceg, who Hyun Sung Park had been scheduled to face on short notice next weekend. I’d be shocked if the South Korean can solve the puzzle that Taira has been in the UFC to date — and that only an elite, championship-level fighter in Brandon Royval has gotten past — on less than a week’s notice.
PREDICTION: TATSURO TAIRA VIA SUBMISSION
Jamie Theodosi – Although Hyun Sung Park will likely go on to have a successful career in the UFC flyweight division, this bump up in opponent and card placement is likely too soon for him. Taira is one of the slickest grapplers in the division, and I see him pulling off an early submission win.
PREDICTION: TATSURO TAIRA VIA SUBMISSION
Ross Markey – It’s quite the setup in competition for Park against the highly-touted Tatsuro Taira, and it’s not helped considering the short-notice nature of this headliner. I’m going with Taira to turn in a relatively comprehensive win over his Asian counterpart — who’ll prove a little too much, too soon for the emerging flyweight prospect.
PREDICTION: TATSURO TAIRA VIA LATE STOPPAGE
Hamish Woodward – I think it’s clear that Park has a big future ahead of him, but this fight might have come too soon for the South Korean fighter. Taira is a big step up from Steve Erceg, who he was supposed to fight next week, and fighting someone knocking on the door of the top five rankings may be a fight too far for him.
Taira is a future champion, it looks like, and I fully expect him to bounce back from his last defeat to beat Park, staking his claim for a future title shot.
PREDICTION: TATSURO TAIRA VIA STOPPAGE