UFC 323: Brandon Moreno vs Tatsuro Taira Preview & Prediction
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Former flyweight champion, Brandon Moreno, takes on streaking prospect, Tatsuro Taira, in what is likely a title eliminator at 125 pounds.
Brandon Moreno vs Tatsuro Taira facts
What time are Brandon Moreno and Tatsuro Taira expected to walk out?
Where is UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs Yan 2? T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs Yan 2? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs Yan 2
What TV channel is UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs Yan 2 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs Yan 2? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs Yan 2 main card
Merab Dvalishvili vs Petr Yan (Bantamweight)
Alexandre Pantoja vs Joshua Van (Flyweight)
Brandon Moreno vs Tatsuro Taira (Flyweight)
Henry Cejudo vs Payton Talbott (Bantamweight)
Jan Błachowicz vs Bogdan Guskov (Light Heavyweight)
UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs Yan 2 prelims
Grant Dawson vs Manuel Torres (Lightweight)
Terrance McKinney vs Chris Duncan (Lightweight)
Maycee Barber vs Karine Silva (Women’s Flyweight)
Nazim Sadykhov vs Fares Ziam (Lightweight)
Marvin Vettori vs Brunno Ferreira (Middleweight)
Edson Barboza vs Jalin Turner (Lightweight)
Iwo Baraniewski vs Ibo Aslan (Light Heavyweight)
Mansur Abdul-Malik vs Antonio Trocoli (Middleweight)
Muhammad Naimov vs Mairon Santos (Featherweight)
Brandon Moreno: Does "The Assassin Baby" have enough left in the tank for another title run?
Widely regarded as one of the greatest flyweights in the history of MMA, fan favorite and former champion, Brandon Moreno (23-8-2) looks to secure what would be his fourth shot at the 125 pound scrap. "The Assassin Baby" finds himself in a difficult position as of 2025; he's beaten virtually every top contender in the division and you have to go through him to earn a shot at the current champion, but the fact that he's currently 0-3 against Alexandre Pantoja means that it's extremely hard to sell a rematch between the pair. Many wrote the former champion off as a declining former force after a decision defeat to Brandon Royval immediately following his title loss to Pantoja, but Moreno has subsequently rebounded with a pair of wins over top contenders Amir Albazi and Steve Erceg.
Tatsuro Taira: Will UFC 323 mark the Japanese prospect's official arrival at the top of the flyweight division?
Outside of a competitive decision loss to fellow top flyweight contender, Brandon Royval, Tatsuro Taira (17-1) has been near perfect in his MMA career to date. While he's primarily known for his grappling acumen, the 25 year old Japanese prospect is boasts an extremely well rounded skillset and a high finishing rate. Taira has scored stoppages in all but one of his five UFC wins en route to earning himself four Performance of the Night bonuses to boot, a state of affairs that means he's arguably the most talented contender in the division who has yet to fight for a title. Taira was last seen rebounding from his first career loss to the aforementioned Royval with a dominant face crank victory over Hyun Sung Park.
Brandon Moreno vs Tatsuro Taira prediction
This is arguably the hardest fight on the entire card to call.
Moreno looked good against Amir Albazi, but it's hard to escape the sensation that he's simply lost a step since losing the belt to Pantoja. Dropping a rematch to Brandon Royval was a bad look but even in victory, "The Assassin Baby" made it unnecessarily close with Steve Erceg last time out. It's a result that has aged extremely poorly in light of "Astroboy's" recent struggles with the unranked Ode' Osbourne.
By contrast, Taira's defeat to the notoriously game and ridiculously tough Royval felt like more like the rite of passage that a young contender has to endure on the way to the title. It's not like Taira got dominated in that fight either; the Japanese prospect had his moments and gutted through a number of tough patches with "Raw Dawg" where young contenders with less heart and grit arguably would have quit.
Make no mistake, Moreno could well roll back the years with a vintage performance befitting one of the greatest flyweights of all time. However, the timing of this match up and the differing stages of the combatants in their respective careers means that this one has the feel of a Taira breakout performance that earns him a title shot.
The pick is Taira by decision.
Prediction: Tatsuro Taira to win by decision
