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The UFC is returning to the APEX Center in Enterprise, Nevada, for the upcoming Fight Night card. Brace yourselves for a night of epic battles as we look at the exciting fighters gracing the UFC card tonight.
UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Taira (also known as UFC Vegas 98) is set to take place this Saturday, October 12, 2024 (U.S. time).
Headlining the UFC Fight Night card will be a thrilling flyweight clash between the No.1-ranked contender Brandon Royval and the No.5-ranked Tatsuro Taira.
In the co-main event of UFC Vegas 98, Brad Tavares will square off against Junyong Park in a middleweight matchup.
Here's a look at all the fighters competing on the UFC card tonight.
UFC card tonight: Royval vs. Taira - Main card fighters
Here is a list of all the main card fights for this weekend's UFC Fight Night event:
Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira (flyweight)
Brad Tavares vs. Junyong Park (middleweight)
Chidi Njokuani vs. Jared Gooden (welterweight)
Grant Dawson vs. Rafa García (lightweight)
Daniel Rodriguez vs. Alex Morono (welterweight)
Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Josh Fremd (middleweight)
Brandon Royval (16-7)
Brandon Royval's three-fight win streak came to an end at UFC 296, where he fell short in his title bid against Alexandre Pantoja. However, 'Raw Dawg' rebounded a razor-thin split-decision victory over former champion Brandon Moreno in a thrilling battle earlier this year.
Tatsuro Taira (16-0)
Tatsuro Taira is 6-0 under the UFC banner and is coming off a technical knockout win over Alex Perez in June. A statement victory over Royval would not only extend the Japenese's overall record to a perfect 17-0 but could launch him into title contention.
Brad Tavares (20-9)
Brad Tavares has struggled for consistency of late, going 1-3 in his last four trips to the octagon. In his latest outing, the UFC veteran was dispatched by Gregory Rodrigues via third-round TKO.
Junyong Park (17-6)
Junyong Park had a four-fight win streak snapped in a razor-thin split-decision loss to Andre Muniz last December. The South Korean will be determined to get back on track when he faces Tavarez this weekend.
Chidi Njokuani (23-10-1NC)
Chidi Njokuani ended a three-fight skid with a split-decision victory over Rhys McKee earlier this year. 'Chidi Bang Bang' will hope to put together a win streak with a statement performance at the UFC APEX.
Jared Gooden (23-9)
Jared Gooden was let go by the UFC following a 1-3 stint in the promotion through 2020-21. 'Nite Train' returned to the organization in March 2023 but things didn't go to plan as he was outpointed by Carlston Harris. However, Gooden reminded everyone of his potential by submitting Wellington Turman in the subsequent outing in December.
Grant Dawson (21-2-1D)
Grant Dawson went unbeaten for 12 consecutive fights (including a draw) before suffering a vicious knockout at the hands of Bobby Green last October. However, 'KGD' rebounded by edging out Joe Solecki at UFC 302.
Rafa García (16-3)
Rafa Garcia is coming off back-to-back wins and is fresh off a unanimous decision win over Clay Guida in April 2023. The Mexican went 4-3 in the octagon with that performance.
Daniel Rodriguez (17-5)
Daniel Rodriguez is in dire need of a victory after going 3-0 in his last three outings. 'D-Rod' was stopped in two of those defeats and most recently dropped a unanimous decision to Kelvin Gastelum in June.
Alex Morono (24-10-1NC)
Alex Morono has alternated losses and wins across his last five fights. In his latest outing, the Texan endured a unanimous decision loss against Niko Price at UFC 302.
Abdul Razak Alhassan (12-6-1 NC)
Abdul Razak Alhassan's recent collision course with Cody Brundage ended in a no-contest due to illegal elbows. Prior to his clash with Brundage, 'Judo Thunder' endured a technical submission loss against Joe Pyfer.
Josh Fremd (11-6)
Josh Fremd hasn't found much success in the UFC, going 2-4 under its banner. The Pennsylvanian most recently dropped a unanimous decision to Andre Petroski in July.
UFC card tonight: Royval vs. Taira - Preliminary card fighters
Here is a list of all the preliminary card fights for this weekend's Fight Night event:
C.J. Vergara vs. Ramazan Temirov (flyweight)
Jonathan Pearce vs. Pat Sabatini (featherweight)
Themba Gorimbo vs. Niko Price (welterweight)
Sean Sharaff vs. Junior Tafa (heavyweight)
Julia Polastri vs. Cory McKenna (women's strawweight)
Dan Argueta vs. Cody Haddon (bantamweight)
Clayton Carpenter vs. Lucas Rocha (flyweight)
C.J. Vergara (12-5-1D)
C.J. Vergara is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Asu Almabaev at UFC 299. The Texan went 3-3 in the promotion with that defeat.
Ramazan Temirov (17-2)
Ramazan Temirov is set to make his octagon debut on the strength of a nine-fight win streak. The Uzbekistani's last three victories have come via knockout.
Jonathan Pearce (14-6)
Jonathan Pearce finds himself on a two-fight skid for the first time in his UFC career. In his latest outing, 'JDP' was outpointed by David Onama in April.
Pat Sabatini (18-5)
Pat Sabatini is 1-2 in his last three fights with both losses coming via first-round stoppage. The Pennsylvanian was most recently knocked out by Diego Lopes at UFC 295.
Themba Gorimbo (13-4)
Themba Gorimbo's UFC debut didn't go to plan as he was submitted by A.J. Fletcher in the second round. However, the Zimbabwean rattled off three consecutive wins thereafter with his latest triumph coming over Ramiz Brahimaj earlier this year.
Niko Price (16-7-2NC)
Niko Price snapped a two-fight skid by edging out Alex Morono at UFC 302. 'The Hybrid' will hope to put together a winning streak when he faces a streaking opponent in Las Vegas.
Sean Sharaff (4-0)
Sean Sharaff will make his octagon debut this weekend hoping to register his fifth consecutive finish. The Californian stepped in on short notice after Chris Barnett was pulled from the UFC APEX card due to issues related to Hurricane Milton.
Junior Tafa (5-3)
Junior Tafa is 1-3 under the promotional banner and was finished in his last two outings. The New Zealander was most recently submitted by Valter Walker at UFC 305.
Julia Polastri (12-4)
Julia Polastri earned her UFC contract with a submission victory over Patricia Alujas Dana White's Contender Series 2023: Week 6 in September 2023. However, the Brazilian came up short in her promotional debut in June, dropping a unanimous decision to Josefine Lindgren Knutsson.
Cory McKenna (8-3)
Cory McKenna is 2-2 in her last four trips to the octagon. In her latest outing in March, "Poppins' was submitted by Jaqueline Amorim in the first round.
Dan Argueta (9-2-2NC)
Dan Argueta’s recent run in the octagon has been marred by controversy, with back-to-back no contests in 2023 followed by a submission loss to Jean Matsumoto earlier this year. Argueta is now determined to turn the page and get back into the win column.
Cody Haddon (7-1)
Cody Haddon earned his UFC contract with a first-round submission win over Billy Brand at DWCS in August. The Aussie will make his octagon debut this Saturday, eyeing his sixth consecutive finish.
Clayton Carpenter (7-0)
Clayton Carpenter made an emphatic UFC debut earlier this year, submitting Juancamilo Ronderos in the first round. The Arizona native has finished five of his seven career wins and is hoping to keep his unbeaten record intact this Saturday.
Lucas Rocha (17-1)
Lucas Rocha is set to make his promotional debut on the back of a six-fight win streak. The Brazilian most recently knocked out Davi Bittencourt at DWCS last October to earn his UFC contract.
