*Brandon Royval knocks out Matheus Nicolau with a brutal knee. Credit: MMA Mania.*

The UFC comes home to the APEX center with a fantastic Fight Night card. From start to finish, this card is filled with explosive matchups and fighters vying to make their name on the biggest stage in MMA. In the co-main event, we’ll see Middleweight mainstay Brad Tavares faceoff against the always-dangerous JunYong Park. In the main event, the #1 ranked Brandon Royval will take on the red-hot Tatsuro Taira in a fight with possible title implications. Let’s take a look at the fights on the main card.

Daniel Rodriguez vs. Alex Morono

*Daniel Rodriguez cracks Kevin Lee with a brutal right hook. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Welterweight Bout

Daniel Rodriguez: 17-5-0, 8 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.

Alex Morono: 24-10-0, 6 KO/TKO, 7 Sub.

Rodriguez has won two of his last outings and has UFC victories over Mike Perry (14-8-0), Tim Means (33-17-1), and Li Jingliang (19-9-0). He’s a technical Muay Thai striker who favors kicks over punches. He remains composed throughout the fight, fighting behind his jab and constantly pursuing a finish without getting sloppy. Training at Xtreme Couture, Rodriguez has great movement and footwork on the feet, attacking from different angles with a variety of strikes. He has exceptionally fast kicks, usually throwing to the legs at the beginning and end of combinations. He’s proven highly durable, regularly surviving in deep waters and finding his way back into fights. Rodriguez is unlikely to initiate grappling exchanges but has solid takedown defense and does an excellent job of getting back to his feet where he’s most comfortable.

*Alex Morono connects with a right hook on Donald Cerrone. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Morono has won two of his last five fights and has UFC victories over Donald Cerrone (36-17-0), Song Kenan (22-8-0), and Court McGee (23-13-0). He is an exceptionally well-rounded fighter, holding black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Taekwondo. He keeps his guard high and remains technical throughout, always fighting behind his jab and throwing in combination. Morono has excellent footwork and head movement, often just getting out of the way of strikes and regularly ducking his head to slip and counter. He has solid cardio and always pushes a heavy pace, having landed 90 or more significant strikes in a fight seven times in the UFC. Training at Fortis MMA, he won’t often initiate grappling exchanges but has a slick submission game and is dangerous on the mat. Morono is very dangerous early, with eleven of his thirteen finishes coming in round one.

Grant Dawson vs. Rafa Garcia

*Grant Dawson knocks Leonardo Santos out cold with vicious ground and pound. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Lightweight Bout

Grant Dawson: 21-2-1, 4 KO/TKO, 13 Sub.

Rafa Garcia: 16-3-0, 1 KO/TKO, 8 Sub.

Dawson has won four of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over Jared Gordon (20-7-0), Mark O. Madsen (12-2-0), and Damir Ismagulov (24-3-0). He is an excellent grappler with a lethal submission game, rarely wasting much time before taking the fight to the mat. He’s averaging over three takedowns landed per fifteen minutes in the UFC and has excellent control, especially on the back. Dawson is highly active on the ground, constantly advancing position and pursuing a finish. Of his 13 career submissions, 11 are rear-naked chokes, so he is incredibly dangerous if he can secure his opponent’s back. He throws everything with power on the feet and stays behind his jab, not typically utilizing much footwork. Training at American Top Team, Dawson has decent head movement and rarely absorbs significant damage, but he isn’t the most technical striker and will primarily throw basic combinations.

*Rafa Garcia rocks Maheshate with a left hand. Credit: MMA Junkie.*

Garcia has won four of his last five outings and has UFC victories over Maheshate (10-3-0), Clay Guida (38-21-0), and Natan Levy (8-2-0). He’s a well-rounded, gritty fighter that’s comfortable anywhere the fight goes. Often at a reach disadvantage, he’s constantly looking to close distance, regularly coming forward with heavy hooks and overhands. Garcia has solid cardio, pushing a consistent pace throughout, and is always willing to engage. Training at Bloodline Combat, he’s landing, on average, over three takedowns per fifteen minutes and has excellent timing, never telegraphing his shots. He’s a grinder in top position, looking to constantly advance and land ground and pound to wear down his opponents. Garcia is always dangerous, especially early on, with five of his eight submissions coming in the first round.

Chidi Njokuani vs. Jared Gooden

*Chidi Njokuani unloads brutal ground and pound onto Marc-Andre Barriault. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Welterweight Bout

Chidi Njokuani: 23-10-0, 14 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.

Jared Gooden: 23-9-0, 11 KO/TKO, 7 Sub.

Njokuani has won two of his last five fights and has UFC victories over Dusko Todorovic (12-4-0), Marc-Andre Barriault (16-8-0), and Rhys McKee (13-6-1). He’s a patient Muay Thai striker who always keeps his guard high and constantly attacks with his lead leg. He’s constantly moving and feinting but stays composed, regularly looking for openings to unleash combinations. Training at Janjira Muay Thai, Njokuani has excellent knees in the clinch and can land significant damage without much space. He’s very defensively sound, having defended 55% of significant strikes attempted on him. He’s been fighting at the sport's top level for nearly a decade, having spent four years in Bellator prior to joining the UFC. The majority of Njokuani’s knockouts have come in the first round, and he’s at his most dangerous early on.

*Jared Gooden fires a jab at Abubakar Nurmagomedov. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Gooden has won three of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over Wellington Turman (18-8-0) and Niklas Stolze (13-7-0). He’s a heavy-handed striker with a dangerous submission game. He fights behind his jab, throws every punch with knockout intentions, and varies his shots well, regularly changing levels and attacking the body. He typically throws tight, straight shots but is willing to brawl and exchange hooks in the pocket. Gooden is active on the mat on his back and in top position, regularly looking to sweep or secure a submission. Training at X3 Sports, he’s particularly dangerous if he can get to his opponent’s back, where he’ll constantly pursue chokes. Gooden is on his second run in the UFC and earned a Performance of the Night bonus in his last appearance.

Brad Tavares vs. JunYong Park

*Brad Tavares lands a brutal front kick to the face of Dricus Du Plessis. Credit: Zuffa LLC.*

Middleweight Bout

Brad Tavares: 20-10-0, 5 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.

JunYong Park: 17-6-0, 5 KO/TKO, 6 Sub.

Tavares has won two of his last five outings and has UFC victories over Krzysztof Jotko (24-6-0), Chris Weidman (16-7-0), and Nate Marquardt (35-19-2). He’s an excellent, technical striker, always throwing in combination and keeping all his shots tight and straight. He has great distance management and is constantly moving, never telegraphing or loading up. Tavares varies his shots, attacking the head and body evenly and regularly chewing up his opponent’s legs with kicks. Training at Xtreme Couture, he has fantastic takedown defense, having defended 81% of takedowns attempted on him in the UFC. He has solid cardio and can comfortably push a consistent pace across 15 minutes, utilizing both power and volume in his striking. Tavares is at his best when he’s controlling the center of the octagon and the fight's pace.

*JunYong Park connects with a jab on Tafon Nchukwi. Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC.*

Park has won four of his last five fights and has UFC victories over Eryk Anders (16-8-0), Albert Duraev (16-5-0), and Marc-Andre Barriault (16-8-0). He’s a well-rounded scrapper who’s always coming forward and pressuring his opponents. He won’t utilize much movement or footwork, staying right in his opponent’s face and constantly firing his jab. Park is always willing to eat a shot to land one and heats up as the fight continues, unloading more volume and increasing his pace over time. He’s averaging nearly two takedowns landed per fifteen minutes and has a dangerous submission game, occasionally even jumping chokes while standing. He has excellent top control and is always active on top, raining down shots and looking for submission openings. Five of Park’s six submissions are rear-naked chokes, and he’s exceptionally dangerous if he can take his opponent’s back.

#1 Brandon Royval #5 Tatsuro Taira

*Brandon Royval jumps a guillotine choke on Kai Kara-France. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Flyweight Bout

Brandon Royval: 16-7-0, 4 KO/TKO, 9 Sub.

Tatsuro Taira: 16-0-0, 5 KO/TKO, 7 Sub.

Royval has won four of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over #2 ranked Flyweight Brandon Moreno (21-8-2), #4 ranked Flyweight Kai Kara-France (25-11-0), and #7 ranked Flyweight Matheus Nicolau (19-5-1). He’s a wild brawler who pushes a crazy pace and is dangerous anywhere the fight goes. Training with Mile High Militia, “Raw Dawg” has been awarded four bonuses in nine bouts in the promotion and always leaves everything in the cage. Royval is dangerous on top and off his back, always moving on the ground and searching for submissions. He throws everything in combination on the feet and always comes forward looking to do damage. He’s always willing to exchange blows in the pocket and has shown an excellent ability to recover from being hurt. Royval has set multiple Flyweight records in his four-year UFC tenure, including the most significant strikes attempted in a fight, most total strikes both attempted and landed in a fight, and the most head strikes landed in a fight.

*Tatsuro Taira launches into a flying knee on Alex Perez. Credit: Zuffa LLC.*

Taira is undefeated and has UFC victories over #6 ranked Flyweight Alex Perez (25-9-0), Jesus Aguilar (11-2-0), and Carlos Hernandez (9-4-0). A dangerous grappler with impressive power, he’s constantly looking to take the fight to the mat and secure a finish. He’s averaging over two takedowns landed and two submissions attempted per fifteen minutes and is very efficient on the ground. Taira has fantastic scrambles and reversals, seemingly always coming out the victor in grappling exchanges. Training at Paraestra Okinawa, he’s highly accurate on the feet, having landed 71% of the significant strikes he’s attempted, always remaining technical. He’ll usually prefer submissions to ground and pound but will unload on his opponent if given the chance. Taira has been awarded three post-fight bonuses in his last five appearances and is always pursuing a highlight victory.

Best Bets

Chidi Njokuani Moneyline: One of the more exciting matchups on the main card; I’d be shocked to see this one go to the judges. With 33 combined finishes between the two, it’s a safe bet someone will sleep. Both seem to have distinct advantages in this matchup, with Njokuani having the striking advantage and Gooden the grappling advantage. Despite this, Gooden is not guaranteed to pursue grappling, regularly getting into brawls on the feet. Njokuani thrives in a firefight, especially when he possesses the reach advantage. While Gooden has serious power in his hands, Njokuani is by far the more polished, experienced striker. I expect Njokuani to weather an early storm from Gooden, keep the fight at kickboxing range, and earn a solid victory.

JunYong Park Moneyline: This is an excellent fight between two very dangerous, high-level fighters. While well-rounded, Tavares definitely prefers to keep the fight standing and is most dangerous on his feet. On the other hand, Park tends to do a bit of everything, willing to engage on the feet and pursue takedowns. Despite Tavares being the more specialized of the two, I believe Park can match him anywhere in terms of technical skill. Along with that, I believe Park pushes the heavier pace of the two, often increasing his volume as the fight continues. I expect Park to wear down Tavares with constant pressure and takedown attempts, ultimately controlling and outpacing him to a win.

Royval vs. Taira to Not Go the Distance: This is an absolutely outstanding matchup, and I expect fireworks. Both are dangerous on the feet and the mat and push a heavy pace. Royval is rarely in a bad fight and always fights with a “kill or be killed” mentality, with just three of his last ten fights going the distance. Although Taira made his debut just two years ago, he has proven to be a prolific finisher and has only seen the third round twice in the UFC. They both offer very distinct challenges for each other as well; Taira has never fought someone as wild or well-rounded as Royval, while Royval has struggled with dominant grapplers like Pantoja. This is an incredibly tough fight to predict the winner, but I’m comfortable saying this does not last 25 minutes. There will be a finish to this fight, whether by knockout or submission.

UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Taira Preview