The flyweight division has seen somewhat of a resurgence with fighters putting on some impressive performances recently. A division that was once at risk of getting removed from Dana White‘s promotion is now witnessing the rise of some stars, including Japanese 125er Tatsuro Taira. The 25-year-old earned his way back into the winning column after registering his eighth career submission win at UFC Vegas 108.
Tatsuro Taira lost a very close fight to Brandon Royval last time out due to a split decision, which may have pushed him to the back of the line, as it was his first professional defeat. He redeemed himself against Hyun Sung Park, which was the seventeenth win of his career. With a 7-1 record in the UFC, Taira has eyes on only one thing now: the flyweight strap, and as such, he wants the winner of Joshua Van and the champion Alexandre Pantoja.
“I spent ten months and I’m back strong. Is it Pantoja? Is it Joshua Van? I want that. I want the winner,” Tatsuro Taira told Michael Bisping during the Octagon interview. Well, the British MMA legend shared his opinion after the Japanese star’s callout for a title shot, claiming that he might need to get at least one more win before challenging Alexandre Pantoja.
“Maybe you need to have one more fight, and if that’s the case, who would you like to fight?” Michael Bisping tried to see if Tatsuro Taira had another name in mind. But at the exact moment, the flyweight star’s coach insisted on naming the champion, as he replied, “Coach said Pantoja.” Bisping understood that Taira was fixated on his pick, stating, “Well, looks like Pantoja it is.”
Thereafter, the reporters wanted to know more about Tatsuro Taira’s call for a fight against Alexandre Pantoja. When asked why he thinks he deserves it, the Japanese star simply claimed that his skill set is on a whole other level than that of the dominant Brazilian champion. “I can say a 100 percent my skill is higher than the champion,” a confident Taira stated in the post-fight presser.
Dominant performance from @TatsuroTaira tonight pic.twitter.com/gyv9DjL9AZ
— UFC (@ufc) August 3, 2025
Well, Tatsuro Taira may not have gotten Michael Bisping’s nod, but a couple of other legends seem to back him. In fact, one of them believes that he could be the next big thing in the flyweight division in the not-so-distant future. Here’s what they had to say.
A duo of former champions praise Tatsuro Taira
Tatsuro Taira’s performance has caught the attention of two of the biggest stars in the history of the promotion, Henry Cejudo and Dominick Cruz. The latter was cageside as the commentator at UFC Vegas 108, who witnessed the Japanese star’s fight against Hyun Sung Park. ‘The Dominator’ is convinced that Taira is going to be a problem in the flyweight division for a long time and gave him the nod to win the title. “Taira is a true-real threat at Flyweight to win a belt in the future,” Cruz tweeted.
Similarly, Henry Cejudo also envisions Tatsuro Taira becoming the UFC champion. However, ‘Triple C’ doesn’t seem too sure if Dana White will give the title shot this year, but 2026 could definitely be the year Taira makes history. “Tatsuro Taira is very talented, and that loss against Royval has only helped him improve. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him as UFC Flyweight Champion in 2026,” the former double champion wrote on X.
It will be interesting to see where this win leads Tatsuro Taira next. Could he be taking on another top contender before getting a title shot, or is he going to land directly in a title fight? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.
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