No. 6-ranked flyweight Tatsuro Taira made history Saturday by headlining the first all-Asia main event in UFC history, defeating Korea’s HyunSung Park via second-round submission in a dominant showing at UFC Fight Night.
Taira dropped Park early in the first round with a quick right hand and controlled him on the ground for the remainder of the frame. In the second, Taira wasted no time, securing a takedown and locking in a face crank to earn the tap just 1:06 into the round.
"I'm happy, thank you!" Taira said in his post-fight interview. "I wanted to show striking and grappling, so this went as I wanted. It's been 10 months and I'm back strong. (Next) Is it Pantoja? Is it Joshua Van? I want the winner. My coach said, ‘Pantoja, Pantoja, Pantoja!’"
Duncan Outlasts Rebecki in Co-Main Thriller
In the co-main event, lightweights Chris Duncan and Mateusz Rebecki engaged in a three-round slugfest that ended in a unanimous decision victory for Duncan. The back-and-forth battle left visible damage on both fighters and was later named one of the “Fight of the Night” award recipients.
"I love this game. You can't beat who won't quit," Duncan said after the bout. "This pain, this is nothing. This (face injury) is superficial. It'll all be gone in a week, but this (win) will remain forever."
Nakamura Impresses with First-Round Finish
Japan’s Rinya Nakamura delivered a standout performance on the prelims, earning a first-round TKO victory over The Ultimate Fighter veteran Nathan Fletcher. Nakamura showcased his striking by targeting Fletcher’s body and landing a liver kick that ended the bout at 1:02 of the opening round.
"In my previous fight, I focused too much to knock out my opponent, so I couldn't wrestle well," Nakamura said. "I saw that his stomach is open a little bit, so I just lifted my leg and dug in. I think I need two more straight wins to call out somebody in the bantamweight division."
Bonus Awards
Fight of the Night honors were awarded to both Chris Duncan vs. Mateusz Rebecki and Elves Brener vs. Esteban Ribovics.
UFC Fight Night: Taira vs. Park — Official Results
Main Event
Tatsuro Taira def. HyunSung Park via submission (face crank) — Round 2, 1:06
Co-Main Event
Chris Duncan def. Mateusz Rebecki via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Main Card
Esteban Ribovics def. Elves Brener via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Karol Rosa def. Nora Cornolle via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-27, 29-27)
Neil Magny def. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 4:39
Kevin Vallejos def. Danny Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Prelims
Rinya Nakamura def. Nathan Fletcher via TKO (liver kick) — Round 1, 1:02
Rodolfo Vieira def. Tresean Gore via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Andrey Pulyaev def. Nick Klein via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 1:31
Austin Bashi def. John Yannis via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 1, 3:39
Rafael Estevam def. Felipe Bunes via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Piera Rodriguez def. Ketlen Souza via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
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