The UFC is back this weekend with UFC Vegas 108 at the Apex, and while the card may lack big-name star power, the main event is shaping up to be a sleeper hit. The Octagon will host an international clash between two of Asia’s most promising flyweights, in a showdown that echoes the intensity of past regional rivalries like Dagestan vs Georgia—but this time, it’s Japan vs South Korea.
Headlining the event, 25-year-old Japanese phenom Tatsuro Taira will take on South Korean standout Park Hyun Sung in a five-round flyweight battle. But putting this matchup together wasn’t easy. A key injury forced UFC CEO Dana White and matchmakers Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby to scramble and adjust their plans.
Dana White’s UFC Vegas 108 headliner gets a cold reaction from Big John McCarthy
The promotion originally booked Tatsuro Taira to face #4-ranked Amir Albazi in a pivotal flyweight contender bout. At the same time, they lined up Park Hyun Sung for next week’s UFC Vegas 109 against former title challenger Steve Erceg. But after Albazi withdrew due to an undisclosed injury, the UFC quickly reshuffled the matchups. As a result, Sung steps in a week early to take on Taira in Las Vegas this Saturday.
Despite the short-notice adjustment, the bout still features two of the most exciting young names in the division. Hyun Sung remains unbeaten at 10-0 as a professional, while Tatsuro Taira enters at 16-1 and already holds a unique milestone: he’s the first and only UFC fighter born after 2000 to headline—and win—a UFC main event, which he accomplished last year against Alex Perez.
Still, the fight hasn’t convinced everyone that it deserves main event status. Former UFC referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy weighed in during an episode of the Weighing In podcast: “We’ve got Tatsuro Taira taking on Hyun Sung Park. It’s got two really solid fighters. should be a fun fight to watch. It just doesn’t have the name value for people because they don’t know—either of these guys haven’t been in the UFC that long….actually a well-matched fight. It should be fun, but it’s not the kind of main event people are typically looking for in the UFC.”
UFC CEO DANA WHITE with post event media during the UFC 304 event at Co-op Etihad Campus, SportCity, Manchester, England on the 27 July 2024. Copyright: xAndyxRowlandx PMI-6350-0002
McCarthy’s comments subtly highlight a broader issue—both fighters are still relatively unfamiliar to American audiences. As two rising Asian prospects, their name recognition on the U.S. circuit remains limited, which could explain the lukewarm reception to the booking. Park Hyun Sung’s first two UFC bouts came through Road to the UFC, a feeder series not heavily promoted in the West.
Meanwhile, many still view Tatsuro Taira as unproven at the top level, especially after veteran Brandon Royval dominated him in a main event last October.
Hyun Sung Park reveals game plan for Tatsuro Taira
After years of grinding through the regional scene, Hyun Sung Park finally saw his dream realized in 2022 when he captured the flyweight crown in Road to the UFC Season 1. Since then, he has quietly built momentum, racking up a 3-0 record in the UFC (excluding his two wins during Road to the UFC) while maintaining his undefeated streak.
Park didn’t expect a top-five opportunity to arrive so soon. But just weeks ago, Dana White and the UFC brass offered him a short-notice fight against heavily hyped Japanese contender Tatsuro Taira. The 29-year-old didn’t blink—he accepted the bout, even though it meant stepping into the Octagon a week earlier than planned.
Speaking through a translator at media day, Hyun Sung Park laid out his mindset and fired off a warning to his 25-year-old opponent: “I’m just going to fight with my regular skills. cutting a lot of weight in a short period of time, but I don’t see that as very difficult. I just want to focus on my weight cut right now, and then just be able to win this week. Striking-wise I’m obviously better than Tatsuro, but he just has a longer reach. I might have difficulty, but I will smash him. I will smash Taira Tatsuro.”
With UFC Vegas 108 just hours away, how do you see the main card clash between Hyun Sung Park and Tatsuro Taira playing out? Can the Korean star hold on to his undefeated streak? Drop your predictions below.
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