21-year-old flyweight prospect Tatsuro Taira is set to make his UFC debut on April 30th against Carlos Candelario, per a report from Nolan King of MMA Junkie.
The fight is set to join a “Fight Night” card that doesn’t have a confirmed location at the moment.
Taira is joining the UFC roster after an impressive run on the regional scene in Japan. He quickly attained 10 wins in Shooto Japan, also becoming their flyweight champ along the way.
Taira has proven to possess the ability to finish fights, having stopped eight of his 10 opponents thus far. His last appearance was in November 2021, where he scored a first-round rear naked choke submission over Alfredo Muaiad.
Candelario will also be making his UFC debut in the fight. He is coming off his first pro loss, which was a split decision against Victor Altamirano on the most recent season of “Dana White’s Contender Series.” This fight became a historic moment for the show, as it marked the first time that a winner and a loser in a fight were offered a UFC contract.
Before his loss, Candelario attained numerous wins in notable regional promotion CES.
UFC’s rapidly-growing April 30th show is without a main event at the moment. Here are the fights that have been confirmed thus far:
Bout 4: Gina Mazany (7-5) vs. Shanna Young (7-4) (Flyweight)
Bout 3: Daniel da Silva (11-2) vs. Francisco Figueiredo (12-4-1) (Flyweight)
Bout 2: Jessica Penne (14-5) vs. Luana Pinheiro (10-1) (Strawweight)
Bout 1: Tatsuro Taira (10-0) vs. Carlos Candelario (8-1) (Flyweight)
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