By:  | August 4, 2023 12:32 pm

Tatsuro Taira’s wait to be matched with a ranked opponent continues but the UFC is certainly keeping him busy. The Japanese flyweight has been matched with David Dvořák on October 14th.

The fight at UFC Vegas 81 featured two flyweights whose careers appear to be heading in opposite directions. Taira will be looking to make it 15 wins in a row while Dvořák has lost his last three.

Taira (14-0) has already won four UFC fights out of four. He is looking to move up the rankings but has yet to be matched with anyone close to the upper echelons of the flyweight division.

He is coming off a one sided decision win over Edgar Cháirez at UFC 290. Prior to that Taira had picked up two $50,000 USD performance bonuses in a row for submission victories.

Submission wins

At UFC Vegas 62 he finished C.J. Vergara with a second round armbar. It was a first round arm triangle that accounted for Jesus Aguilar at UFC Vegas 68.

Having fought at the T-Mobile Arena at UFC 290 he returns to the Apex Centre for this fight. The odds are stacked against Dvořák (20-6) who also won his first three fights in the octagon.

That’s because the Czech fighter hasn’t won a fight in over two years. He is coming off decision losses to Steve Erceg, Manel Kape and Matheus Nicolau.

Best of the rest

The event looks set to be headlined by a featherweight fight between Sodiq Yusuff (13-2) and Edson Barboza (23-11). The latter is ranked #11 while the former is #14 meaning a spot in the top ten at 145lbs could be at stake.

There are two bantamweight bouts currently on the card #13 ranked Jonathan Martinez (18-4) takes on #14 ranked Adrian Yanez (16-4). In WMMA action Irina Alekseeva (5-1) goes up against Melissa Dixon (5-0).

UFC Vegas 81, Las Vegas, October 14th
Sodiq Yusuff vs. Edson Barboza (Featherweight)
Jonathan Martinez vs. Adrian Yanez (Bantamweight)
Irina Alekseeva vs. Melissa Dixon (Bantamweight)
Ashley Yoder vs. Emily Ducote (Strawweight)
David Dvořák vs. Tatsuro Taira (Flyweight)