UFC Vegas 108 went through a major change to its main event less than one week out from fight night.
Amir Albazi wasn’t medically cleared to compete as he looked to bounce back from a defeat last November.
His scheduled meeting with Tatsuro Taira came with stakes for the flyweight division, pitting the #4-ranked contender against #6 with both men coming off of losses.
While the UFC did explore other options, a replacement opponent ended up stepping in with Taira now facing off with Hyun Sung Park.
The matchup may no longer feature two top contenders colliding but it’s still set to mark a milestone for the UFC when it takes place on August 2.
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Hyun Sung Park will be the first Road to UFC graduate to headline a UFC card
Hyun Sung Park has earned his first UFC main event after putting together some impressive performances before replacing Amir Albazi.
‘Peace of Mind’ was originally slated to face former title challenger Steve Erceg at next weekend’s event, showing that the UFC was clearly keen on giving him a high level opponent for his next outing.
The 29-year-old made his way onto the roster by competing on the first season of the promotion’s Road to UFC tournament.
With the winner of each “win-and-advance” tournament earning a UFC contract, there have already been three completed seasons with the semi-finals of season 4 set to take place this month.
Hyun Sung Park won season one’s flyweight bracket, finishing all three of his opponents before producing back-to-back wins inside the Octagon.
As a result, this weekend at the UFC Apex will serve as a landmark moment for the series with it producing its first fighter that has headlined a UFC event.
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Road to UFC’s next goal will be to produce a title challenger
If Hyun Sung Park is able to beat Tatsuro Taira on short notice, the flyweight division will suddenly have a new name that is instantly in the title picture.
Road to UFC gives the promotion another way to have exciting talent compete against each other to see which one deserves their spot on the roster.
Dana White’s Contender Series remains the main way that the UFC signs new fighters, and while that system occupies a lot of roster space, it has produced three UFC champions.
| Contender Series fighters who have won UFC titles | Event | Fighter they defeated | Result |
| Jamahal Hill | UFC 283 – 2023 | Glover Teixeira | Unanimous decision |
| Sean O’Malley | UFC 292 – 2023 | Aljamain Sterling | TKO – Round 2 |
| Jack Della Maddalena | UFC 315 – 2025 | Belal Muhammad | Unanimous decision |
Road to UFC signs considerably fewer fighters per season but that only makes it more impressive if fighters like Hyun Sung Park are able to go on and have big impacts.