Despite yet another referee controversy, Tatsuro Taira may have positioned himself to finally get a crack at flyweight gold, becoming the first man to finish former two-time flyweight champion Brandon Moreno at UFC 323.
Moreno was in control for most of the first round, executing a tight triangle on Taira for what felt like the longest time -- in spite of Taira looking to take the fight to the ground. He appeared to have a fully locked-in triangle armbar and triangle choke, but Taira defended and was able to slip out of the hold in the closing seconds.
Taira used his speed to slip away from Moreno's strikes in the second round. He then was able to score a takedown, and this time it was him who was troubling the former champ.
Taira flattened out Moreno and rained down blows. As Moreno appeared to be building his base, however, referee Mark Smith waved off the fight, giving Taira the win in a key flyweight battle.
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Taira has now won back-to-back fights after his first professional MMA loss, coming against Brandon Royval. He is 8-1 since arriving in the UFC in 2022.
Moreno has lost three of five now, stretching back to him losing the flyweight title to Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 290.
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