Former title challenger Brandon Rovyal showcased variety of the highest order as he handed Tatsuro Taira, the maiden professional loss in a flyweight bout at the UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas on Sunday (IST).
The “Raw Dawg” edged past the 24-year-old via split decision scores of 48-47, 48-47, 47-48.
From the start, this was a tale of two battles, depending on where they were taking place, with Royval dominating the striking exchanges and Taira routinely winning the grappling entanglements.
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They traded the first two rounds before each had massive moments in the third, with the former title challenger battering the unbeaten rising star early and the Japanese fighter rallying in the final minute.
In the later rounds, Taira controlled the entirety of the fourth from Royval’s back before the Factory X man battled back in the final stanza, finishing the frame working from back mount himself.
The judges were called upon to determine a victor, and when the scores were added up, it was Royval that came away on the happy side of the split decision verdict. That’s consecutive wins for the American who remains squarely in the title mix, while Taira showed in defeat that he’s a legitimate threat in the division.
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