Tatsuro Taira

Tatsuro Taira (born January 27, 2000) is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Background
He started playing baseball in the third grade of elementary school but could not be passionate about it and made a break in junior high school club activities. Influenced by his older brother who was learning kickboxing at The Palaestra Okinawa, he started attending the gym in his first year of high school and trained in mixed martial arts under Ryota Matsune's guidance. In 2017, he won the 11th Kyushu Amateur Shuto Championship Tournament and the 24th All Japan Amateur Shuto Championship Tournament, and was promoted to the professional ranks with a record of 10 wins in 10 amateur Shuto fights.
He lists Marlon Vera as his favorite fighter, and Vera himself sent a message to Taira in Japanese, saying "Thank you."
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
On August 3, 2018, he made his professional debut against Yo Otake in the first round of the flyweight division of the Shuto Rookie of the Year Tournament, winning by first-round triangle choke. On November 25, 2018, he rematched Ryu Oyakawa, whom he fought twice as an amateur, in the flyweight final of the Shooto Newcomer's Championship Tournament, winning by first-round guillotine choke. He won the flyweight rookie champion and MVP of the same year.
On September 22, 2019, he fought Takahiro Kobori, ranked #8 in the Shuto World Flyweight Rankings, and won by TKO via pound-for-pound 60 seconds into the fight.
Taira was next scheduled to face Kiyotaka Shimizu at Shooto 0329 on March 29, 2020. However, the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The bout was then rebooked to take place at Shooto 1123 on November 23, 2020 and he won the fight via unanimous decision.
Won by rear-naked choke 61 seconds into the match against Yoshiro Maeda, ranked #5 in the world flyweight division by Shuto, on March 20, 2021.
On July 4, 2021, he faced champion Tatsuya Fukuda at the Shuto World Flyweight Championship and won by first-round triangle choke to win the title.
On November 6, 2021, he fought LFN flyweight champion Alfredo Muaiad at VTJ 2021 and won by first-round rear-naked choke.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
On February 4, 2022, he signed a multi-fight contract with the UFC.
On April 30, 2022, he was scheduled to fight Carlos Candelario at UFC on ESPN: Font vs. Vera, but the fight was postponed to UFC on ESPN: Błachowicz vs. Rakić on May 14 after Candelario pulled out due to food poisoning just before the event.
On May 14, 2022, in his first UFC appearance, he fought Carlos Candelario at UFC on ESPN: Błachowicz vs. Rakić and won a 3-0 unanimous decision.
On October 15, 2022, he faced C.J. Vergara at UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Araújo, winning by armbar submission in the second round. Taira won the Performance of the Night bonus. The fight took place under the condition that Vergara pay 30% of the fight money to Taira because Vergara weighed 3 pounds over the flyweight limit at the previous day's weigh-in.
On February 4, 2023, Taira faced Jesús Santos Aguilar at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivak, winning by first-round triangle armbar. In the process, he also won his second consecutive Performance of the Night bonus.
On May 21, 2023, at PROFESSIONAL SHOOTO 2023 Vol. 3, he vacated his Shooto Flyweight Championship, stating that he could not defend his Shooto title as he would be fighting in the UFC.
On June 24, 2023, he was scheduled to face off against Kleydson Rodrigues at UFC on ABC: Emmett vs. Topuria, but the bout was canceled after Rodriguez weighed 3 pounds (1.3 kg) over the flyweight limit the day before the weigh-in.
Taira was rebooked for a week later at UFC 290 against UFC newcomer Edgar Cháirez in a 130-pound catchweight bout. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Taira was scheduled to face David Dvořák on October 14, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 230. However, the bout was cancelled for unknown reasons.
Taira is scheduled to face Carlos Hernandez on December 9, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 234
Championships and accomplishments
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Performance of the Night (Two times)
Shooto
Shooto Flyweight Championship (One time)
Mixed martial arts record
|-
|Win
|align=center|14–0
|Edgar Cháirez
|Decision (unanimous)
|UFC 290
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|13–0
|Jesús Santos Aguilar
|Submission (triangle armbar)
|UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivak
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|4:20
|Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|12–0
|C.J. Vergara
|Submission (armbar)
|UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Araújo
|
|align=center|2
|align=center|4:19
|Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|11–0
|Carlos Candelario
|Decision (unanimous)
|UFC on ESPN: Błachowicz vs. Rakić
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|10–0
|Alfredo Muaiad
|Submission (rear-naked choke)
|VTJ 2021
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|4:12
|Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|9–0
|Ryuya Fukuda
|Submission (triangle choke)
|Shooto 2021 Vol.4
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|4:31
|Osaka, Japan
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|8–0
|Yoshiro Maeda
|Technical Submission (rear-naked choke)
|Shooto 2021 Vol.2
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|1:01
|Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center|7–0
|Kiyotaka Shimizu
|Decision (unanimous)
|Shooto 2020 Vol.7
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
|Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center|6–0
|Jared Almazan
|TKO (punches)
|Shooto 2020 in Korakuen Hall
|
|align=center|2
|align=center|0:19
|Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center|5–0
|Yamato Takagi
|TKO (punches)
|The Shooto Okinawa Vol.2
|
|align=center| 2
|align=center| 4:40
|Okinawa, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center|4–0
|Takahiro Kohori
|TKO (punches)
|Shooto Border: Season 11 The 3rd
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:00
|Osaka, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center|3–0
|Yuto Sekiguchi
|Decision (unanimous)
|Shooto: Gig Tokyo 27
|
|align=center| 2
|align=center| 5:00
|Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center|2–0
|Ryo Oyakawa
|Submission (guillotine choke)
|The Shooto Okinawa Vol.1
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 3:24
|Okinawa, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center|1–0
|Yo Otake
|Submission (triangle choke)
|Shooto: This is Shooto 2
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 2:46
|Tokyo, Japan
|
See also
List of undefeated mixed martial artists
List of current UFC fighters
List of male mixed martial artists
References
External links
2000 births
Living people
Japanese male mixed martial artists
Flyweight mixed martial artists
Bantamweight mixed martial artists
Mixed martial artists utilizing kickboxing
Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters
Japanese practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu
People from Naha
Sportspeople from Okinawa Prefecture