Rising Japanese star Tatsuro Taira books first UFC main event vs. Alex Perez on June 15
In need of a main event, the UFC is turning to what could be its next big Japanese star.
Undefeated flyweight Tatsuro Taira has been booked to meet former title challenger Alex Perez in a UFC Fight Night headliner June 15 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie on Monday after it was initially reported by Marcel Dorff on X.
In order to book the main event, the UFC split a pair of matchups as Perez, No. 5 in the official UFC flyweight rankings, originally was slated to fight Tagir Ulanbekov on June 15, while No. 13 Taira was supposed to face Joshua Van on June 1 at UFC 302. As a result, Ulanbekov and Van will square off on the June 15 UFC Fight Night lineup.
Since joining the UFC in 2022, Taira, 24, is 5-0 with three stoppages. He most recently defeated Carlos Hernandez by second-round TKO last December to push his overall record to 15-0.
Perez, 32, will make a relatively quick turnaround as he’s coming off a second-round knockout of Matheus Nicolau on April 27. The victory snapped a three-fight skid, which included a title-fight loss to then-champion Deiveson Figueiredo.
Below is the current UFC Fight Night lineup for July 15:
Alex Perez vs. Tatsuro Taira
Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Joshua Van
Ikram Aliskerov vs. Andre Muniz
Jimmy Flick vs. Nate Maness
Adam Fugitt vs. Josh Quinlan
Gabriella Fernandes vs. Carli Judice
Josefine Knutsson vs. Julia Polastri
Garrett Armfield vs. Brady Hiestand
Jeka Saragih vs. Westin Wilson
Asu Almabaev vs. Jose Johnson
Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. Miles Johns
Lucas Almeida vs. Tim Cuamba
