Tatsuro Taira delivered on his promise to become the first person to finish Brandon Moreno after he unleashed a vicious ground and pound attack to get the win at UFC 323.
Following a tough opening round where he was mostly stuck defending a triangle choke, Taira came firing back with a well-timed takedown and he began unloading punches after taking Moreno’s back. The punishment continued with Moreno struggling to escape and referee Mark Smith decided he saw enough to stop the fight with the end coming at 2:24 in the second round.
Replays showed that the stoppage seemed a bit premature but Taira was definitely dropping bombs right up until the end of the fight
“I was pretty sure those [punches] were going in,” Taira said about his victory. “I’m very happy for the win. UFC, please give me a title shot!”
A couple of striking exchanges led to a scramble on the ground with Moreno actually snatching a triangle choke from the bottom. Taira stayed patient and defended well but he couldn’t give Moreno any more room to work to secure the submission.
The flyweights were locked in the same position for the majority of the opening round with the crowd growing restless. The round ended with Taira finally making his escape and he tried to build on that with the start after catching Moreno with a stiff left hand.
Taira eventually came forward and secured a slick takedown before advancing to take the back where he began unloading punches in succession. Moreno was stuck and Taira continued hammering away until he got the stoppage — the exact kind of statement he needed to potentially earn the next shot at UFC gold.
Taira has now won back-to-back fights and with the title on the line in the UFC 323 co-main event, he may find himself facing the winner in 2026.
