Japanese MMA's Next Superstar

Tatsuro Taira's Tricky Style And Modern Grappling

Author

William
June 14th, 2024

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First Things First

Today we’re talking about Japan’s hottest prospect. He’s tricky, creative, and very young. Can he take the necessary step forward this weekend in his first main even slot?

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Now let’s get to today’s piece!

Tricky Tatsuro Taira

The birthplace of modern MMA has yet to produce a UFC Champion. That’s right, no Japanese person has ever worn UFC gold. It’s not like the country has no outlet for the sport either.

Today Rizin is the face of Japanese MMA promotions. Before them, DREAM, Pride, Sengoku, and others scouted, developed, and promoted Japanese talent. One small Japanese promotion has been plugging away in the background since before the UFC started, Shooto.

Shooto started promoting fights in the 80’s. The plan was to create a sport around real fighting, separate from pro wrestling. Since then, Shooto crowned legendary Japanese champions like Hayato Sakurai and Kyoji Horiguchi. In fact, Anderson Silva’s first world title was actually Shooto’s 168 pound belt.

Countless other Japanese fighters have risen through Shooto’s ranks to make it to the UFC. This weekend one of their champions is getting their first UFC main event slot. Tatsuro Taira is the latest Japanese champion to leave Shooto on his quest for UFC gold. Taira is only 24 but his game shows rare maturity

Oftentimes, the only thing that separates a good fighter from the elite is how well they know themselves. Do they understand which of their weapons is sharpest, when to use them, and where they’re least likely to lose?

That’s the thing that stands out the most about Tatsuro Taira. All of his attacks advance him towards angles where he can hurt you but you can’t really counter, or they keep you off him.

Let’s look at how Taira uses his long weapons to take his opponents out.

Taira Stands Tall And Strikes Long

Taira is a big for his division. The 24 year old fights at 125 but stands at 5’7”, two inches taller than his division’s average. His strikes make good use of that length.

In general Taira is all the way in to shoot for takedowns or all the way out launching straight rights and kicks. Those long strikes serve three general purposes.

First and foremost, they keep him at a safer distance. He can hurt you, but you can’t readily return fire.

Taira leans to the left and leads with a long right that splits Hernandez’s guard. Taira pounces, punches, and continues moving so Hernandez can’t hold him. The referee says enough is enough and calls the finish.

Tatsuro Taira vs Carlos Hernandez

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