Rising undefeated Japanese star Tatsuro Taira has his first UFC assignment.
At UFC Fight Night on April 30, Taira (10-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will make his promotional debut against fellow newcomer and former CES MMA standout Carlos Candelario (8-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in a three-round flyweight bout.
The event takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams on ESPN+.
Two people with knowledge of the booking recently confirmed the matchup to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. The fight first appeared on UFCStats.com.
Taira, 22, is the Shooto flyweight champion. Out of his 10 professional wins, Taira has finished eight opponents, including five submissions and three knockouts. Notable wins include Ryuya Fukuda, Kiyotaka, Shimizu, and Yamato Takagi.
As for Candelario, the Connecticut-based fighter became the first athlete to receive a UFC contract after a loss on Dana White’s Contender Series. Against Victor Altamirano, Candelario lost a decision. However, UFC president Dana White disagreed with the judges and awarded both fighters UFC contracts instead.
With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for April 30 includes:
- Cortney Casey vs. Antonina Shevchenko
- Gina Mazany vs. Shanna Young
- Francisco Figueiredo vs. Daniel da Silva
- Mike Breeden vs. Natan Levy
- Gabe Green vs. Yohan Lainesse
- Jessica Penne vs. Luana Pinheiro
- Rafael Alves vs. Jared Gordon
- Carlos Candelario vs. Tatsuro Taira
