JunYong Park continued his upward momentum and scored another win in the Octagon, defeating Brad Tavares in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Taira.
Park and Tavares battled closely in the first round, with the former attempting to pressure and walk down his veteran opponent. Tavares, however, took the frame by landing solid shots, including a 1-2 that dropped Park.
The South Korean survived to the horn, however, and he and Tavares managed to both land hard on each other during the second frame. Park continued to land at will and did more damage in the final round.
One judge controversially scored the fight 29-28 for Tavares, but the other two awarded their 29-28 scores to Park for a split decision win.
JunYong Park Edges Out Brad Tavares On Scorecards In UFC Fight Night Co-Main Event
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The result saw Park rebound from a loss to André Muniz at the end of last year. He's won five of his last six and is now 8-3 in the Octagon.
Tavares, meanwhile, has now lost back-to-back fights and four of his last five.