What’s next for Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira after UFC Vegas 98?

The UFC returned to the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday for UFC Vegas 98 in a battle of top-ranked flyweights between Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira.

In the main event, top-ranked flyweight contender Brandon Royval took on Tatsuro Taira. Roval entered the bout coming off a decision win over Brandon Moreno while Taira beat Alex Perez by TKO due to an injury as he was 6-0 in the UFC.

In the end, it was Royval who edged out a split decision win over Taira. Following UFC Vegas 98, here is what I think should be next for both fighters involved in the main event.

Brandon Royval

Brandon Royval was looking to cement himself as the No. 1 contender at flyweight. ‘Raw Dawg’ entered the bout as the underdog but he was able to be the more active striker to edge out the decision win. However, he was controlled for two of the rounds, so his takedown defense remains a bit of a concern.

With the victory, it’s clear that Royval’s next fight should be for the belt. Alexandre Pantoja is set to defend his flyweight title against newcomer Kai Asakura at UFC 310 on December 14. Royval should be the backup fighter for that fight and he should get the winner sometime in early-to-mid 2025.

Tatsuro Taira

Tatsuro Taira suffered his first career loss at UFC Vegas 98 but he still remains a legit flyweight contender. Taira should off plenty of his grappling skills and his improved striking, as he did win the fight on one of the three judges’ scorecards.

Despite the loss, Taira will remain a top-five flyweight and should get another big fight next time out. A logical next matchup would be to face the loser of the Brandon Moreno vs. Amir Albazi fight. The fight could still be a Fight Night main event sometime in the first half of 2025 with the winner likely being a win away from a title shot.