5 takeaways from UFC Fight Night: Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira

The UFC returned to the Las Vegas APEX for its latest Fight Night last night. While the event wasn't too highly anticipated, it produced one of the best fights of 2024.

Naturally, all the focus coming out of UFC Fight Night: Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira will be on the thrilling headline fight.

However, there was actually plenty on this card to enjoy and discuss in the end, making it an October bonus of sorts.

Here are five takeaways from UFC Fight Night: Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira.

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#5 Ramazan Temirov is another welcome addition to the UFC's flyweight ranks

The UFC's flyweight division is arguably at a high watermark right now, with a number of exciting and talented fighters chasing Alexandre Pantoja and his title.

Debutant Kai Asakura is all set to face 'The Cannibal' for the gold later this year, but last night saw another welcome addition to the ranks at 125 pounds.

Uzbekistan's Ramazan Temirov needed just under three minutes to take out CJ Vergara in his octagon debut, violently stopping him with a series of strikes.

'Temurlan' looked on from the very start of the fight, constantly pressuring Vergara with his heavy strikes. Eventually, he decked his foe with a wild left hand, and then battered him all around the octagon before finishing him off with a brutal body shot.

Temirov has now won his last ten fights in a row, with his last five ending via KO or TKO. The Uzbek native is quite clearly a very dangerous fighter, and it would not be a surprise to see him climb into the flyweight rankings very soon.

Overall, this was a perfect debut for him and it was no surprise to see him handed a $50k bonus for his work.

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#4 Pat Sabatini is one of the UFC's most underrated fighters

There are a number of underrated fighters in the UFC right now. After last night, there can be no doubt that the often-overlooked Pat Sabatini is one of them.

Very few fans talk up Sabatini's chance of becoming a contender at 145 pounds, probably because of the two losses he's suffered in the octagon.

Admittedly, both of those losses were bad, but both could arguably be seen with a caveat. As we now know, there's no shame in losing to Diego Lopes, who is on the cusp of a title shot. Sabatini's other defeat, meanwhile, came to an emotionally-charge Damon Jackson via a likely one-off front kick to the jaw.

Outside of that, the Philadelphia native has been perfect in his other six bouts. Last night was perhaps his best showing to date, as he easily ran through Jonathan Pearce, barely taking a shot en route to a standing rear naked choke finish.

Judging by this showing, it'll probably be worth pushing Sabatini against a higher-level foe next time out. He's 33 years old and is probably at the peak of his powers, meaning it might be now or never for him.

For now, though, he remains a highly underrated fighter, and it's arguable he deserved a $50k bonus for his strong showing last night.

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#3 Grant Dawson is back on track in style

When Grant Dawson suffered his first loss in the UFC, a nasty knockout at the hands of Bobby Green last October, his run up the rankings appeared to be over.

'KGD' did bounce back from the loss by beating Joe Solecki in June, but it was a largely tepid performance that didn't suggest he could climb back into contention.

Last night's win over an overmatched Rafa Garcia, though, was much more like it for Dawson. He bullied his foe, taking him down in both rounds with ease before opening him up with heavy elbows to set up a TKO win.

Everything about this performance - right down to the slightly comical post-fight speech - suggested that Dawson finally has his mojo back after being knocked out.

If 'KGD' can fight like this going forward, he's going to be a threat to any fighter at 155 pounds. So, it might be time to push him back up the lightweight ladder against a ranked foe next time out.

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#2 Brad Tavares' time in the UFC could be up

It's arguable that the most disappointing showing at last night's event came from Brad Tavares in the co-headliner.

The Hawaiian veteran - who broke the record for the most fights in UFC middleweight history with his 25th octagon appearance - looked to be on his way to a win early on.

He dropped opponent Jun Yong Park with a one-two in the first 30 seconds of their clash, and should probably have finished him off.

Instead, he let 'The Iron Turtle' off the hook, and paid a heavy price. The Korean turned the tide in the second round and then basically abused him both standing and on the ground, to little answer from the 14-year veteran.

Realistically, the split decision verdict was far clearer in favor of Park than it sounded, and quite how Junichiro Kamijo scored it for Tavares was anyone's guess.

More importantly, though, this result might mean Tavares' race is run in the UFC. Not only is he about to turn 37 years old, but he's also lost four of his last five bouts.

The promotion may throw him one last bone in the form of another fight, but these days, Dana White and company can be ruthless. Therefore, if he continues fighting, it wouldn't be a surprise if Tavares' next bout takes place elsewhere.

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#1 Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira was one of the best fights of 2024

Coming into last night's event, most fans hoped to see an exciting fight between flyweight headliners Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira.

Few fans could've expected one of the best UFC fights of 2024, though, but that's exactly what they were treated to.

Not only did both fighters display extreme skill, heart and toughness, but the five-round affair saw a number of momentum shifts. Going into the final round, it could've gone either way, and only a strong stanza for Royval was the difference.

What did we learn about both men? While Taira came out on the wrong end of the decision, he again displayed his excellent grappling skills, coming close with a handful of submission attempts. More than that, though, he showed a remarkable chin and proved that he definitely belongs at the top of the 125-pound division.

'Raw Dawg', meanwhile, showed off some wicked punching combinations, strong defense on the ground, and an ability to outlast his foe down the stretch.

Sure, he also showed some holes in his game - namely being forced into seemingly avoidable grappling exchanges at times - but without those holes, he wouldn't be half as exciting.

Overall, this was one of those fights where neither man involved came off looking like a loser, and despite coming on a lesser show, should be looked upon as a Fight of the Year Candidate.