TOP FLYWEIGHT CONTENDERS
(#1) BRANDON ROYVAL AND (#5) TATSURO TAIRA
HEADLINE AT UFC® APEX
UFC® returns to the APEX with a pivotal flyweight matchup featuring No. 1 ranked contender Brandon Royval taking on No. 5 Tatsuro Taira. In addition, exciting lighweights Grant Dawson and Rafa Garcia lock horns.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ROYVAL vs. TAIRA takes place Saturday, October 12 in Las Vegas and will be available on ESPN+ (English and Spanish). The prelims will air exclusively on ESPN+ at 1 p.m. PT / 4 p.m. ET, followed by the main card airing on ESPN and ESPN+ 4 p.m. PT / 7p.m. ET.
UFC APEX VIP Experience packages are available via On Location, UFC’s Official VIP Experience Provider. Enjoy exclusive access with an official ticket package that includes premium seating, all-inclusive hospitality, in-seat beverage service, meet-and-greets with UFC Octagon Girls and more. Visit UFCVIP.com for more information.
Division veteran Royval (16-7, fighting out of Englewood, Colo.) steps back into the Octagon determined to be the first fighter to defeat Taira. The former title challenger has secured strong wins against elite competition such as Brandon Moreno, Matheus Nicolau, and Matt Schnell. Royval now looks to secure back-to-back wins and add Taira’s name to his resume.
Japan’s Taira (16-0, fighting out of Okinawa, Japan) looks to remain undefeated and make the most of his second UFC main event. The highly touted rising star has wowed fans with his performances against the likes of Alex Perez, Carlos Hernandez, and Edgar Chairez. Now looking to become undeniable for a shot at the title, Taira sets forth to defeat Royval in emphatic fashion.
Dawson (21-2-1, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) sets out to make a statement this October. A highly skilled grappler with 13 submission wins to his name, the Florida-based athlete has collected wins against Joe Solecki, Damir Ismagulov, and Mark Madsen. Dawson now aims to spoil Garcia’s night and deliver a shutout performance.
Garcia (16-3, fighting out of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico) returns to action for the first time in 2024. The well-rounded mixed martial artist has made a name for himself in the 155-pound division with his wins over Clay Guida, Jesse Ronson and Natan Levy. Garcia plans to remind the lightweight division just how good he is with a statement win against Dawson.
Additional bouts on the card include:
- Fireworks are set for the middlweight division as Abdul Razak Alhassan (12-6, fighting out of Denver, Colo. by way of Accra, Ghana) meets Josh Fremd (11-6, fighting out of Englewood, Colo. by way of Pitssburgh, Penn.)
- Dana White’s Contender Series flyweight signees Clayton Carptener (7-0, fighting out of Phoenix, Ariz.) and Lucas Rocha (17-1, fighting out of Coari, Amazonas, Brazil) square off
- Chris Barnett (23-8, fighting out of Athens, Ga.) battles Dana White’s Contender Series alumn Waldo Cortes Acosta (12-1, fighting out of Phoenix, Ariz. By way of Fundacion, Barahona, Dominican Republic) at heavyweight
- Polyana Viana (13-7, fighting out of São Geraldo do Araguaia, Pará, Brazil) takes on Dana White’s Contender Series standout Cory McKenna (8-3, fighting out of Cwmbran, Wales) at strawweight
- Dana White’s Contender Series contract winner CJ Vergara (12-5-1, fighting out of San Antonio, Texas) goes toe-to-toe with divison newcomer Ramazan Temirov (17-2, fighting out of Uzbekistan)
- Welterweights Themba Gorimbo (13-4, fighting out of Johannesburg, South Africa) and Niko Price (16-7 2NC, fighting out of Cape Coral, Fla.) look to steal the show
- Dana White’s Contender Series signee Chidi Njokuani (23-10 1NC, fighting out of Garland, Texas) locks horns with Jared Gooden (23-9, fighting out of Atlanta, Ga.) at welterweight
For the latest information on bout announcements and additional information for this event, please visit www.ufc.com. All bouts are subject to change. Please click here to apply for the event.
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UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 700 million fans and 259 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world while broadcasting to over 975 million TV households across more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 80 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO) and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC and @UFC on X, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok: @UFC.
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