After about two months away, the UFC was back in its headquarters for UFC Vegas 108 (aka UFC Fight Night: Tatsuro Taira vs. Hyun Sung Park) on August 2.
It was the first UFC Fight Night to take place at the UFC APEX since the May 31 card that saw its main event between Erin Blanchfield and Maycee Barber get canceled as walkouts for the main event were getting underway.
The main event for this night (which did happen) saw Tatsuro Taira take on Hyun Sung Park. Taira was originally scheduled to face Amir Albazi, but Albzai withdrew from the fight on a week’s notice, leaving Park to set up on significantly short notice.
Taira, who entered this fight ranked No. 6 at flyweight, looked to get back in the win column after a loss to Brandon Royval in October — the first loss of Taira’s career.
Park came into the bout 10-0, with him winning his first three Octagon bouts after winning the flyweight tournament on season one of Road to UFC.
Who came through in Vegas? Who went bust? Let’s find out with the hits and misses of UFC Vegas 108!
Miss – What To Do About Weight Misses?
This isn’t a gripe that should go specifically against the card itself, but it’s kind of damning when you have not one, but two fighters who miss weight by a noteworthy margain.
Felipe Burnes missed weight for his fight with Rafael Estevam by a solid four pounds. And then Tresean Gore had a 3.5 pound miss for his fight with Rodolfo Vieira. Both fighters ended up paying 25 percent of their purse, and both fighters lost their fights, but imagine if they didn’t.
I’ve griped in this column for a couple of weeks now about the scoring system in MMA, but there’s got to be something done about missing weight. I understand the dangers of the weight cut and don’t want to jeopardize a fighter’s health; however, I do feel that if you miss weight, that’s a horrible look on you. And I completely understand the fighters who feel disrespected by it. Remember just a few years ago when we had a notable stretch in the UFC that saw more fighters who missed weight win? Heck, this is Estevam’s second time missing weight in his last three fights!
The California State Athletic Commission adopted a rule years ago that they can order a fighter no longer fight at such a weight class. I think this needs to be adopted by and respected by all the commissions out there. Emphasis on commissions — it’s not enough for the promotions like the UFC to try this and enforce it; all parties need to be on board.
You can mock the PFL for their regular season and playoffs format, but when it came to weight missing, they were strict with it. And honestly? I think they came up with an idea we can apply. When the PFL was beginning the 2021 season, they stated fighters who missed weight would be deducted one point in the standings and be ineligible to receive any points.
Well, how about fighters who miss weight are automatically deducted one point before the fight even begins? How’s that sound?
Hit – Austin Bashi
Austin Bashi is not even 25 years old, and yet he’s already built himself up on the regional scene through promotions like the XFC and Lights Out Championship. And while his UFC debut did not go his way, he looked impressive in his outing against John Yannis.
After absorbing an early head kick, Bashi rocked Yannis with a right hook, secured a takedown, and quickly took the back. He maintained control with a body triangle and eventually locked in a rear-naked choke for the win.
It was a quick and strong showing from this young man, who won a UFC contract through his appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series last year. It’ll be worth seeing if he can get another performance like this on another Fight Night card.
Hit – Rinya Nakamura
If we’re talking about explosive finishes, look no further than Rinya Nakamura and the memorable outing he had by taking out Nathan Fletcher in just over a minute.
Nakamura hurt Fletcher early with a body kick and continued pressuring with sharp combinations. A liver kick dropped Fletcher with a delayed reaction, and Nakamura followed up with ground-and-pound to earn the stoppage.
This was one of the best kind of performances Nakamura could have had after suffering his first career loss in his last outing. Now through what he’s done in the Octagon so far, including the win over Fletcher, combined with what he did on the Road to UFC series, Nakamura may have established himself as someone to look out for.
Hit – Neil Magny Climbs The Record Books
Neil Magny may not be in the mix of contenders at 170 anymore, but that doesn’t mean the man still can’t go. While he’s struggled of late, Magny found success at UFC Vegas 108, pulling off a finish over fellow fight veteran Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos.
After a competitive first round where both fighters had their moments, Magny turned up the pace in the second. Magny pressured dos Santos relentlessly, wearing him out with grappling and ground strikes before a finish late in round two.
With 23 wins, Magny has the most victories in UFC welterweight history — and he is tied with Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, Max Holloway, Charles Oliveira, and Andrei Arlovski for the second-most victories in the Octagon. He also has the most bouts and strikes landed in the history of the UFC’s welterweight division.
While Neil Magny isn’t going to be challenging for a UFC title, barring some miracle, he has undoubtedly left his mark in the Octagon. We don’t know how many more times we’ll see Magny in the Octagon, but let’s appreciate him no matter how many it is.
Hit – Karol Rosa
While there weren’t a lot of ranked talent competing at UFC Vegas 108, one fight of note that featured ranked contenders saw a women’s bantamweight contest between Karol Rosa and Nora Cornolle, with Rosa getting the win.
After a striking-heavy first round from Cornolle, Rosa took over with takedowns and top control, threatening submissions and landing consistent ground strikes. This gameplan stretched into the third round, giving Rosa more success as she went on to secure the win on the judges’ cards.
Rosa came into this bout ranked No. 10 at women’s 135. Of note, looking at contenders 6-9, she has lost to Irene Aldana and Ailin Perez; however, she has beaten Yana Santos. She hasn’t faced off with former title challenger Mayra Bueno Silva yet, however. So, if Silva gets past Joselyne Edwards this coming weekend, perhaps book Rosa with her next and see if she’s ready to face off with higher-ranked contenders again? Edwards herself could pose an interesting matchup, too, as Rosa defeated her back in 2021.
Hit – A Pair Of Fight Of The Year Candidates, Back-To-Back
It’s crazy exciting when you get a banger of a fight that takes place. Now imagine if you had two — back-to-back. That’s what we got to experience at UFC Vegas 108.
It all started with Esteeban Ribovics scoring a victory over Elvis Brener. Ribovics had the edge early and poured out with pressure throughout, landing over 150 significant strikes while stuffing all of Brener’s takedown attempts. Brener responded with flashy kicks and big moments, but Ribovics’ pace and volume ultimately won him the nod.
The last three fights for “El Gringo” now have been this exciting contest with Brener, a split decision loss to Nasrat Haqparast that earned Fight of the Night honors, and the 2024 Fight of the Year with a decision win over Daniel Zellhuber. Do not put Ribovics in the UFC APEX anymore! Let’s get this kid on the undercard of a pay-per-view again, ASAP. Because whatever you think Ribovics’ future has in store, he is proving to be an exciting fighter who knows how to really put on an entertaining show.
And then right after that, Chris Duncan ended up getting the win over Mateusz Rębecki in another entertaining brawl. Both men traded heavy shots early, with each wearing visible damage by the second round. Duncan found success with body attacks and a near submission in the third, while Rebecki continued throwing bombs until the final bell.
Duncan has now won three straight and seven of his last eight. His only pay-per-view card appearance was being on the prelims for UFC 278; perhaps it’s time we change that.
It’s always a fair argument to discuss lack of star power with some of these cards, as well as if the UFC is overproducing cards. But, man, sometimes these Fight Nights really can deliver surprises.
Hit – Tatsuro Taira Calls His Shot
Tatsuro Taira wants a shot at the flyweight title, and he emphasized that with a dominant win over Hyun Sung Park in the main event.
Taira dropped Park with a right hand early and then got into top game and just completely dominated and overwhelmed Park from there. Taira would find Park’s back and sink in a choke during the second round, bringing the fight to an early end with a submission.
This was a solid rebound from Taira after suffering the first loss of his pro career against Brandon Royval last fall, and now he feels he’s earned the opportunity to challenge for the gold. Joshua Van, of course, is supposed to be next in line for champion Alexandre Pantoja following the awesome run he had earlier this year. With one more win, however, Taira should be next in line (especially if Pantoja beats Van).
