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USA Today Sports Media Group

Sport

Matt Erickson

UFC Fight Night 244: How to watch Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira, start time, Las Vegas fight card, odds, more

Brandon Royval Tatsuro Taira UFC Las Vegas UFC Fight Night 244 UFC Fight Night Lucas Rocha Alex Perez Brandon Moreno ESPN

After a week off, the UFC is back on its home turf this week with a pair of ranked flyweights at the top of the lineup.

Here’s how to watch UFC Fight Night 244 with 125-pounders in the headlining spot, plus middleweights in the co-feature.

Broadcast and streaming info

Brendan Fitzgerald, Laura Sanko, Michael Bisping

UFC Fight Night 244 has a main card that starts at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+. The preliminary card streams on ESPN+ at 4 p.m. ET.

Stay tuned to MMA Junkie for further broadcast details this week.

Main event: Brandon Royval

Brandon Royval def. Brandon Moreno, UFC Fight Night 237 (via UFC)

Record: 16-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC
Opponent: Tatsuro Taira (16-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC)
Division: Flyweight
Key wins: Brandon Moreno, Matheus Nicolau, Matt Schnell, Kai Kara-France
Misc.: After a loss to Alexandre Pantoja in 2021, Royval ratted off three straight wins and got another crack at him, but while he was champion. Pantoja outworked him for a decision at UFC 296, but Royval bounced back in February with a win over ex-champ Brandon Moreno.

Main event: Tatsuro Taira

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JUNE 15: (L-R) Tatsuro Taira of Japan punches Alex Perez in a flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 15, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Record: 16-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC
Opponent: Brandon Royval (16-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC)
Division: Flyweight
Key wins: Alex Perez, Carlos Hernandez, Jesus Aguilar
Misc.: One of the division’s most well-rounded standouts, Taira returns on the heels of a second-round finish of Perez in June to stay unbeaten. This will be his sixth fight in two years, so he’s been consistent. Given Royval has challenged for the belt, a win for Taira likely would make him next in line.

UFC debut: Ramazonbek Temirov

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A post shared by Ramazonbek Temirov (@ramazan_temurov)

Record: 17-2
Opponent: CJ Vergara (12-5-1 MMA, 3-3 UFC)
Division: Flyweight
Misc.: 27-year-old prospect from Uzbekistan picked up a pair of wins under the Rizin banner in 2023. He has 10 of his 17 wins by knockout.

UFC debut: Cody Haddon

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – AUGUST 20: (R-L) Cody Haddon of Australia secures a rear choke submission against Billy Brand in a bantamweight fight during Dana White’s Contender Series, season eight week two on August 20, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Record: 7-1
Opponent: Dan Argueta (9-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC)
Division: Bantamweight
Misc.: 26-year-old Australian submitted Billy Brand on DWCS in August to get a UFC contract. All seven of his career wins are by stoppage – the most recent two by rear-naked choke after five straight knockouts to open his career.

UFC debut: Lucas Rocha

Lucas Rocha def. Davi Bittencourt, DWCS 66

Record: 17-1
Opponent: Clayton Carpenter (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
Division: Flyweight
Misc.: After a knockout win on DWCS in October 2023, the Brazilian has been on hold for his UFC debut. Jose Johnson pulled out of a booked April fight against him, and then Rocha had to withdraw from his fight against replacement Joshua Van. Now a year later, he finally gets his official shot.