If you missed Brandon Royval’s split-decision win over Tatsuro Taira in the main event of UFC Vegas 98, you might have missed the Fight of the Year.
Royval successfully defended his No. 1 contender spot with a razor-thin victory over the 24-year-old rising star from Japan. Taira came into the fight ranked No. 5, and he almost certainly would have gotten a title shot if he had beaten Royval.
After a first round that saw Royval in control with his striking, Taira staked a claim to round two with a smothering grappling game. Both men showed how skilled they were on the ground, as a lesser-skilled fighter would have succumbed to various attacks and body triangles that Taira had used.
Royval survived and rebounded to nearly stop Taira in the third round, but somehow, the latter finished the frame on top after securing another takedown in the final minute. Taira controlled the fourth with more power grappling and control, but both fighters were a little gassed heading into the final round.
The fifth was close, with both men having their moments. However, two judges gave Royval the last round because of his clean striking and a ground scramble that saw him finish the round in control of Taira.
Here is a look at the official scorecard:
All I can say is, what a fight.
This war easily won Fight of the Night bonuses, and the dollar amount should’ve been doubled.
Here is a look at all of the results from the event, along with highlights of all the finishes and callouts for the performance bonuses.
UFC Vegas 98 Fight Card Results
🏆Brandon Royval def. 🏆Tatsuro Taira via split decision (29-28×2, 28-29) – Fight of the Night Bonus
Park Jun-yong def. Brad Tavares via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Chidi Njokuani def. Jared Gooden via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
Grant Dawson def. Rafa Garcia via TKO in Round 2
Dawson ran his record in the UFC to an impressive 11-1 with his finish of Garcia. Dawson’s only loss with the promotion came to Bobby Green in October 2023.
He has struggled to make weight, but the American Top Team product was operating on all cylinders on Saturday.
Here is a look at his finish.
Daniel Rodriguez def. Alex Morono via split decision (29-28×2, 28-29)
🏆Ramazan Temirov def. C.J. Vergara via TKO in Round 1
Temirov is a wild man who throws every shot as if trying to see his fist come out of his opponent’s back. It’s an entertaining style and a winning one on Saturday, as he overwhelmed Vergara en route to the win and a performance bonus.
Pat Sabatini def. Jonathan Pearce via submission in Round 1 (Rear-naked choke)
Sabatini put on a back-packing exhibition, securing the victory with an incredibly tight rear-naked choke to force the submission. Here is the finish.
Themba Gorimbo def. Niko Price via unanimous decision (30-27×3)
Junior Tafa def. Sean Sharaf via TKO in Round 2
If you’re looking to showcase the skill level of UFC heavyweights, this fight is not the one you want to show someone. Both men were beyond gassed, and the battle ended in the second round.
Tafa got the win and here’s how it happened.
Julia Polastri def. Cory McKenna via split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)
Cody Haddon def. Daniel Argueta via unanimous decision (30-27×3)
🏆Clayton Carpenter def. Lucas Rocha via technical submission in Round 2 (Rear-naked choke)
Rocha didn’t want to tap, so he went out momentarily before the referee stopped the fight. Carpenter performed excellently to win, finish and get a performance bonus.
With all of the strong performances on the night, we will remember Royval-Taira’s battle and the winner’s post-fight interview. His closing words were as strong as the fight, if possible.
Royval wants a title shot if Kai Asakura defeats Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 310. If not, he may fight Asakura or the winner between Brandon Moreno and Amir Albazi.
Stay tuned. Suddenly, the flyweight division has some real life.
