UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Taira official results

The UFC returned to the Apex with a 12-bout Fight Night card headlined by flyweight contenders Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira, plus a middleweight bout between Brad Tavares and Jun-yong Park in the co-main event.

Below are the official results for UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Taira below:

MAIN CARD

Brandon Royval def. Tatsuro Taira by split decision (48-47, 28-29, 29-28)

After a strong opening round from one-time title challenger Royval, Taira dominated Round 2 with excellent takedowns and grappling control. The third round was one of the best of the year with Royval hurting Taira multiple times with knees and punches to the head before the youngster from Japan mounted a comeback and was close on a submission attempt near the end of the round. Royval won the final round on all scorecards thanks to a strong final minute.

Jun-yong Park def. Brad Tavares by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

“The Iron Turtle” narrowly got back in the win column in a middleweight contest that had several shifts in momentum. Tavares set a record for competing in his 25th fight in the UFC middleweight division. During the second round, Tavares also passed former middleweight champion Michael Bisping, who happened to be sitting cageside calling the fight on the broadcast, for the most total time spent in the cage during middleweight competition in UFC history.

Chidi Njokuani def. Jared Gooden by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

It seems Njokuani has found a home at 170 pounds after improving to 2-0 at welterweight. He used accumulated control time from the clinch and set a personal record for significant strikes with more than landed. Njokuani landed knees and elbows and defended Gooden’s takedown attempts well.

Grant Dawson def. Rafa Garcia by technical knockout at 1:42 of Round 2

Dawson showed why he is a feared up-and-comer in the lightweight division, dominating Garcia with a blend of wrestling and ground-and-pound that earned his 10th win since making his UFC debut more than five years ago.

Daniel Rodriguez def. Alex Morono by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

The veteran welterweights went the full 15 minutes in a fight that took place mostly on the feet. Two of the three judges scored the bout for Rodriguez who snaps a three-fight losing streak.

PRELIMINARY CARD

Ramazan Temirov def. C.J. Vergara by technical knockout at 2:50 of Round 1

Temirov extended his winning streak to 10 in a row by overwhelming Vergara with aggressive boxing in the opening round, finishing things off with a hook to the body.

Pat Sabatini def. Jonathan Pearce by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:06 of Round 1

Sabatini hadn’t fought since his 90-second knockout loss to Diego Lopes 11 months ago but he took control of his opponent quickly, took Pearce’s back and locked in the finish.

Themba Gorimbo def. Niko Price by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Make that four in a row for Gorimbo in the UFC. He had Price in trouble early and at a few different points throughout but was unable to secure a finish.

Junior Tafa def. Sean Sharaf by technical knockout 2:15 of Round 2

Sharaf took this fight on only a few days’ notice after Tafa’s original opponent, Chris Barnett, withdrew due to travels issues related to Hurricane Milton and it showed as both heavyweights were on fumes by the second round. Tafa and Sharaf, who had Sean Strickland in his corner, traded heavy hands for roughly seven minutes before Tafa landed a series of hooks and uppercuts that caused the referee to step in.

Julia Polastri def. Cory McKenna by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)

Fight fans saw four split decisions a week ago at UFC 307 and this strawweight contest saw the three judges all submit different scorecards with Polastri earning her first UFC win and handing McKenna her second consecutive loss.

Cody Haddon def. Daniel Argueta by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Australia's Haddon used accurate, volume punching and solid takedown defence to earn a win in his UFC debut. Haddon had never previously won a decision. All his other pro wins were by stoppage. His lone loss was a decision to recent UFC flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg on the Aussie regional circuit in 2021. Haddon landed more than 150 total strikes and defended 18 of Argueta's 22 takedown attempts.

Clayton Carpenter def. Lucas Rocha by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:02 of Round 2

Flyweights bookend the card with 125-pound up-and-comer Carpenter improving to 8-0 as a pro with his sixth stoppage win and fourth by sub. Carpenter is now 2-0 in the UFC after earning a contract in 2022 through the Contender Series.