UFC Fight Night 194: Taira vs Park

For Taira, it’s a chance to show he’s very much in the thick of the chase in the flyweight division and a step ahead of Park, while the 29-year-old Team MMA Story representative can show that he too deserved to be mention amongst the division’s elite if he can secure a fourth straight UFC win.

With new champion Ilia Topuria at the helm and the recent retirement of Dustin Poirier, the landscape of the lightweight division is rapidly changing, and leading the charge for the next generation of 155-pound talents are Poland’s Mateusz Rebecki and Scotland’s Chris Duncan.

Esteban Ribovics has always been seen as a top talent at 155 pounds, but after back-to-back Fight of the Night efforts against Daniel Zellhuber and Nasrat Haqparast, Argentina’s “El Gringo” has become must see TV as well.

Top 15 bantamweights Karol Rosa and Nora Cornolle have a prime opportunity to move up the 135-pound ladder when they clash tonight, making this a high-stakes battle that the entire division will be watching.

With 51 combined UFC bouts, there is little that Neil Magny and Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos haven’t seen in the Octagon, But tonight will mark something new for both welterweight veterans, as they will collide for the first time in a bout with clear “Fight of the Night” potential.

Just 23 years old, Argentina’s Vallejos also earned his contract on the Contender Series, and in his March debut, “El Chino” made an immediate impact when he stopped South Korean veteran Choi Seung-woo in the first round.

A decorated wrestler who was considered a strong candidate to represent Japan in the 2020 Olympic Games, Rinya Nakamura instead decided to chase his dreams of gold in MMA, where he won his first nine bouts, including three in the UFC over Toshiomi Kazama, Fernie Garcia and Carlos Vera.

A decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt who made a smooth transition to MMA, Rodolfo Vieira’s groundfighting prowess was on full display in his Performance of the Night submissions of Dustin Stoltzfus, Cody Brundage and Armen Petrosyan.

Pulyaev was one of the prospects emerging from last season of the Contender Series, and after going three rounds with Christian Leroy Duncan in March, the Russian southpaw will be seeking his first UFC victory here in Las Vegas.

One of the top featherweight prospects on the roster, Austin Bashi earned his contract with a submission of Dorian Ramos on Dana White’s Contender Series, and after a hard-fought three rounder with Christian Rodriguez in January, the 23-year-old is back to face Octagon newcomer John Yannis.

Brazilians have always made a significant mark in the UFC’s flyweight division, with champion Alexandre Pantoja being the shining example, and now it’s Rafael Estevam and Felipe Bunes’ turn to rep their nation at 125 pounds.

Ever since emerging with a UFC contract on season five of Dana White’s Contender Series, Piera Rodriguez has been bringing the heat with an aggressive style that has led her to wins over Kay Hansen, Sam Hughes and Josefine Knutsson.