Tatsuro Taira not interested in rankings, but focused on path to UFC title
LAS VEGAS – Tatsuro Taira beat Jesus Aguilar with a first-round verbal submission Saturday to open the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 218 in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Taira, who lived up to the promise of being the biggest betting favorite on the card at -1250.
Jesus Aguilar vs. Tatsuro Taira
Result: Tatsuro Taira def. Jesus Aguilar via verbal submission (armbar) – Round 1, 4:20
Updated records: Taira (13-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), Aguilar (8-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Key stat: Taira has seven submissions among his 13 wins.
Taira on the fight's key moment
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 04: (R-L) Tatsuro Taira of Japan works for a submission against Jesus Aguilar of Mexico in a flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on February 04, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
“I knew that as soon as I took the advantage from him, I knew he didn’t like I stayed aggressive. I tried to do that and then promptly got into triangle position.”
Taira on surviving an early guillotine attempt
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 04: (R-L) Jesus Aguilar of Mexico kicks Tatsuro Taira of Japan in a flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on February 04, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
“I had been always worried about his guillotine chokes because I knew he is very good at them. I was kind of nervous in the beginning – the position was getting to a guillotine choke for him. I tried to be careful and listened to my coaches to get out of the situation.”
Taira on what he wants next
“I really, really want to come back as soon as possible. I’m of course interested in fighting against (ranked opponents), so I’m looking forward to fighting again soon. As soon as I can fight (ranked opponents), I think I can get into the top 15. But I’m not really interested in being ranked. The target is to get the belt and be a champion. I want to be the fighter the other ranked fighters want to fight against.”
To hear more from Taira, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 218.
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