A pair of notable flyweight matchups have recently joined UFC’s October 15th show. The bouts are now part of a card that doesn’t have a set location at the moment.
Askarov Returns From First Loss Against Royval
Appearing for the first time since suffering his only career defeat thus far, Askar Askarov will face Brandon Royval in October. The pairing was confirmed by MMA Junkie first.
Askarov took his sole defeat in March, not being favored on judge’s scorecards after going three rounds against high-ranked contender Kai Kara-France.
He had built up a strong promotional run before then, scoring three wins and one draw since 2019. Most notably, he beat veteran Joseph Benavidez in 2021.
Royval will be fighting to keep his strong 2022 rolling. He has already picked up two victories this year, beating Rogerio Bontorin on scorecards and taking a quick submission victory against Matt Schnell.
Undefeated Taira To Face Vergara
Coming off a strong promotional debut, undefeated flyweight Tatsuro Taira has been booked to meet CJ Vergara. MMA Junkie’s Nolan King first reported the pairing recently after an announcement was made by Taira’s management.
Taira, a 22-year-old from Okinawa, Japan, won his UFC debut in May. He went the distance against Carlos Candelario to win via unanimous decision, marking the beginning of his run in the promotion. That victory moved his record to a flawless 11 wins – a record that he mostly developed on the Japanese regional scene.
Vergara is also coming off his first UFC win. That victory came at UFC 274 earlier this year, when he beat Kleydson Rodrigues in a split decision.
Vergara was unsuccessful in his previous UFC bout, dropping a decision to Ode Osbourne in 2021.
Updated Lineup
Just a few fights have been reported for UFC’s October 15th show thus far. Here is how the card looks right now:
Bout 3: Jonathan Martinez (16-4) vs. Cub Swanson (28-12) (Bantamweight)
Bout 2: Askar Askarov (14-1-1) vs. Brandon Royval (14-6) (Flyweight)
Bout 1: CJ Vergara (10-3-1) vs. Tatsuro Taira (11-0) (Flyweight)
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