Tatsuro Taira
Updated: 5/20/2026, 8:20:32 PM Wikipedia source
Tatsuro Taira (平良達郎, Taira Tatsurō; born January 27, 2000) is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of May 5, 2026, he is in the UFC flyweight rankings. Taira is the first and only fighter to date born in the 2000s to fight in and win a UFC main event.
Infobox
Born
(2000-01-27) January 27, 2000 Naha, Okinawa, Japan
Native name
平良達郎
Height
5 ft 7 in (1 m)
Weight
125 lb (57 kg; 8 st 13 lb)
Division
Flyweight Bantamweight
Reach
70 in (178 cm)
Fighting out of
Naha, Okinawa, Japan
Team
The Blackbelt Japan
Rank
Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Years active
2018–present
Total
20
Wins
18
By knockout
1
By submission
8
By decision
1
Losses
2
Tables
Professional record breakdown · Mixed martial arts record
By knockout
By knockout
20 matches
By knockout
18 wins
6
2 losses
1
By submission
By submission
20 matches
By submission
18 wins
8
2 losses
0
By decision
By decision
20 matches
By decision
18 wins
4
2 losses
1
| 20 matches | 18 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 6 | 1 |
| By submission | 8 | 0 |
| By decision | 4 | 1 |
· Mixed martial arts record
Loss
Loss
Res.
Loss
Record
18–2
Opponent
Joshua Van
Method
TKO (front kick to the body and punches)
Event
UFC 328
Date
May 9, 2026
Round
5
Time
1:32
Location
Newark, New Jersey, United States
Notes
For the UFC Flyweight Championship. Fight of the Night.
Win
Win
Res.
Win
Record
18–1
Opponent
Brandon Moreno
Method
TKO (punches)
Event
UFC 323
Date
December 6, 2025
Round
2
Time
2:24
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win
Win
Res.
Win
Record
17–1
Opponent
Park Hyun-sung
Method
Submission (neck crank)
Event
UFC on ESPN: Taira vs. Park
Date
August 2, 2025
Round
2
Time
1:06
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss
Loss
Res.
Loss
Record
16–1
Opponent
Brandon Royval
Method
Decision (split)
Event
UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Taira
Date
October 12, 2024
Round
5
Time
5:00
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Notes
Fight of the Night.
Win
Win
Res.
Win
Record
16–0
Opponent
Alex Perez
Method
TKO (knee injury)
Event
UFC on ESPN: Perez vs. Taira
Date
June 15, 2024
Round
2
Time
2:59
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Notes
Performance of the Night.
Win
Win
Res.
Win
Record
15–0
Opponent
Carlos Hernandez
Method
TKO (punches)
Event
UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Gutiérrez
Date
December 9, 2023
Round
2
Time
0:55
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win
Win
Res.
Win
Record
14–0
Opponent
Édgar Cháirez
Method
Decision (unanimous)
Event
UFC 290
Date
July 8, 2023
Round
3
Time
5:00
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Notes
Catchweight (130 lb) bout.
Win
Win
Res.
Win
Record
13–0
Opponent
Jesús Santos Aguilar
Method
Submission (triangle armbar)
Event
UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivac
Date
February 4, 2023
Round
1
Time
4:20
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Notes
Performance of the Night.
Win
Win
Res.
Win
Record
12–0
Opponent
C . Vergara
Method
Submission (armbar)
Event
UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Araújo
Date
October 15, 2022
Round
2
Time
4:19
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Notes
Catchweight (129 lb) bout; Vergara missed weight. Performance of the Night.
Win
Win
Res.
Win
Record
11–0
Opponent
Carlos Candelario
Method
Decision (unanimous)
Event
UFC on ESPN: Błachowicz vs. Rakić
Date
May 14, 2022
Round
3
Time
5:00
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win
Win
Res.
Win
Record
10–0
Opponent
Alfredo Muaiad
Method
Submission (rear-naked choke)
Event
Vale Tudo Japan 2021
Date
November 6, 2021
Round
1
Time
4:12
Location
Tokyo, Japan
Notes
Catchweight (130 lb) bout.
Win
Win
Res.
Win
Record
9–0
Opponent
Ryuya Fukuda
Method
Submission (triangle choke)
Event
Shooto: 2021 Vol. 4
Date
July 4, 2021
Round
1
Time
4:31
Location
Osaka, Japan
Notes
Return to Flyweight. Won the Shooto Flyweight Championship.
Win
Win
Res.
Win
Record
8–0
Opponent
Yoshiro Maeda
Method
Technical Submission (rear-naked choke)
Event
Shooto: 2021 Vol. 2
Date
March 20, 2021
Round
1
Time
1:01
Location
Tokyo, Japan
Win
Win
Res.
Win
Record
7–0
Opponent
Kiyotaka Shimizu
Method
Decision (unanimous)
Event
Shooto: 2020 Vol. 7
Date
November 23, 2020
Round
3
Time
5:00
Location
Tokyo, Japan
Notes
Bantamweight debut.
Win
Win
Res.
Win
Record
6–0
Opponent
Jared Almazan
Method
TKO (punches)
Event
Shooto: 2020 Vol. 1
Date
January 26, 2020
Round
2
Time
0:19
Location
Tokyo, Japan
Notes
Catchweight (130 lb) bout.
Win
Win
Res.
Win
Record
5–0
Opponent
Yamato Takagi
Method
TKO (punches)
Event
Shooto: The Shooto Okinawa Vol. 2
Date
November 3, 2019
Round
2
Time
4:40
Location
Okinawa, Japan
Win
Win
Res.
Win
Record
4–0
Opponent
Takahiro Kohori
Method
TKO (punches)
Event
Shooto: Border Season 11 the 3rd
Date
September 22, 2019
Round
1
Time
1:00
Location
Osaka, Japan
Notes
Return to Flyweight.
Win
Win
Res.
Win
Record
3–0
Opponent
Yuto Sekiguchi
Method
Decision (unanimous)
Event
Shooto: Gig Tokyo 27
Date
June 8, 2019
Round
2
Time
5:00
Location
Tokyo, Japan
Notes
Strawweight debut.
Win
Win
Res.
Win
Record
2–0
Opponent
Ryo Oyakawa
Method
Submission (guillotine choke)
Event
Shooto: The Shooto Okinawa Vol. 1
Date
November 25, 2018
Round
1
Time
3:24
Location
Okinawa, Japan
Win
Win
Res.
Win
Record
1–0
Opponent
Yo Otake
Method
Submission (triangle choke)
Event
Shooto: This Is Shooto Vol. 2
Date
August 3, 2018
Round
1
Time
2:46
Location
Tokyo, Japan
Notes
Flyweight debut.
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 18–2 | Joshua Van | TKO (front kick to the body and punches) | UFC 328 | May 9, 2026 | 5 | 1:32 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | For the UFC Flyweight Championship. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 18–1 | Brandon Moreno | TKO (punches) | UFC 323 | December 6, 2025 | 2 | 2:24 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 17–1 | Park Hyun-sung | Submission (neck crank) | UFC on ESPN: Taira vs. Park | August 2, 2025 | 2 | 1:06 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 16–1 | Brandon Royval | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Taira | October 12, 2024 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 16–0 | Alex Perez | TKO (knee injury) | UFC on ESPN: Perez vs. Taira | June 15, 2024 | 2 | 2:59 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 15–0 | Carlos Hernandez | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Gutiérrez | December 9, 2023 | 2 | 0:55 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 14–0 | Édgar Cháirez | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 290 | July 8, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Catchweight (130 lb) bout. |
| Win | 13–0 | Jesús Santos Aguilar | Submission (triangle armbar) | UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivac | February 4, 2023 | 1 | 4:20 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 12–0 | C . Vergara | Submission (armbar) | UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Araújo | October 15, 2022 | 2 | 4:19 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Catchweight (129 lb) bout; Vergara missed weight. Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 11–0 | Carlos Candelario | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Błachowicz vs. Rakić | May 14, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 10–0 | Alfredo Muaiad | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Vale Tudo Japan 2021 | November 6, 2021 | 1 | 4:12 | Tokyo, Japan | Catchweight (130 lb) bout. |
| Win | 9–0 | Ryuya Fukuda | Submission (triangle choke) | Shooto: 2021 Vol. 4 | July 4, 2021 | 1 | 4:31 | Osaka, Japan | Return to Flyweight. Won the Shooto Flyweight Championship. |
| Win | 8–0 | Yoshiro Maeda | Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) | Shooto: 2021 Vol. 2 | March 20, 2021 | 1 | 1:01 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 7–0 | Kiyotaka Shimizu | Decision (unanimous) | Shooto: 2020 Vol. 7 | November 23, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | Bantamweight debut. |
| Win | 6–0 | Jared Almazan | TKO (punches) | Shooto: 2020 Vol. 1 | January 26, 2020 | 2 | 0:19 | Tokyo, Japan | Catchweight (130 lb) bout. |
| Win | 5–0 | Yamato Takagi | TKO (punches) | Shooto: The Shooto Okinawa Vol. 2 | November 3, 2019 | 2 | 4:40 | Okinawa, Japan | |
| Win | 4–0 | Takahiro Kohori | TKO (punches) | Shooto: Border Season 11 the 3rd | September 22, 2019 | 1 | 1:00 | Osaka, Japan | Return to Flyweight. |
| Win | 3–0 | Yuto Sekiguchi | Decision (unanimous) | Shooto: Gig Tokyo 27 | June 8, 2019 | 2 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | Strawweight debut. |
| Win | 2–0 | Ryo Oyakawa | Submission (guillotine choke) | Shooto: The Shooto Okinawa Vol. 1 | November 25, 2018 | 1 | 3:24 | Okinawa, Japan | |
| Win | 1–0 | Yo Otake | Submission (triangle choke) | Shooto: This Is Shooto Vol. 2 | August 3, 2018 | 1 | 2:46 | Tokyo, Japan | Flyweight debut. |
References
- ufcstatshttp://ufcstats.com/fighter-details/4461d7e47375a895
- 青→紫 帯昇格しました✌︎ 平良達郎 (t ) Instagram 2021年1月15日https://www.instagram.com/p/CKB8MzuHmAC/
- MMAPLANEThttps://mmaplanet.jp/99722
- wwwhttps://www.ufc.com/rankings
- "Who is Tatsuro Taira? Meet the Japanese fighter who made history in the UFC"https://bloodyelbow.com/2025/07/22/who-is-tatsuro-taira-meet-the-japanese-fighter-who-made-history-in-the-ufc/
- SPICE（スパイス）｜エンタメ特化型情報メディア スパイスhttps://spice.eplus.jp/articles/284128
- 一般社団法人 日本修斗協会http://j-shooto.com/2017/09/24/post-0-64/
- 沖縄県那覇市発 格闘技スクール 修斗＆柔術ジム Theパラエストラ沖縄 松根良太のブログhttps://ameblo.jp/theparaoki/entry-12391841081.html
- wwwhttps://www.instagram.com/p/CjyGBUoJxdI/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D
- wwwhttps://www.shooto-mma.com/topics/?id=3340
- asianmmahttps://asianmma.com/tatsuro-taira-faces-kiyotaka-shimizu-in-flyweight-fight-at-shooto-0329/
- asianmmahttps://asianmma.com/shooto-0329-cancelled-due-to-coronavirus/
- asianmmahttps://asianmma.com/kiyotaka-shimizu-ready-to-educate-undefeated-shooto-prodigy/
- asianmmahttps://asianmma.com/takafumi-otsuka-gets-lucky-tatsuro-taira-impresses-again-at-shooto-1123/
- "新星・平良達郎が日本軽量級の実力者・前田吉朗を61秒でスリーパー葬【修斗】 | TOKYO HEADLINE"https://www.tokyoheadline.com/543563/
- MMAPLANEThttps://mmaplanet.jp/118727
- ゴング格闘技 - GONKAKUhttps://gonkaku.jp/articles/8627
- ゴング格闘技 - GONKAKUhttps://gonkaku.jp/articles/9461
- Cageside Presshttps://cagesidepress.com/2022/04/30/ufc-vegas-53-tatsuro-taira-vs-carlos-candelario-off-candelario-suffering-illness/
- Cageside Presshttps://cagesidepress.com/2022/05/14/ufc-vegas-54-tatsuro-taira-vs-carlos-candelario/