4 Fights We Need to See After UFC Fight Night: Taira vs. Park

Tatsuro Taira is once again looking like a future flyweight title challenger in the UFC.

Late last year, the 25-year-old from Japan suffered his first professional loss with a split-decision defeat against Brandon Royval. It was a tough blow after 17-straight victories, but at this past Saturday's UFC event in Las Vegas, he rebounded from that slip with a second-round submission of South Korea's Hyun Sung Park. It bears noting that Park replaced the injured Amir Albazi on short notice, but it was an impressive win for Taira all the same, and a title shot is not far off.

Outside the main event, the biggest winner of Saturday's card was Scottish lightweight Chris Duncan, who defeated Poland's Mateusz Rębecki by decision in a three-round war that earned Fight of the Night honors and is firmly in the Fight of the Year debate.

Welterweight veteran Neil Magny also impressed on the card, scoring a second-round TKO victory over Elizeu Zaleski. Magny, one of the most experienced fighters in the UFC today, has never been known as a finisher, but now has two stoppage wins in his last two fights—proof that he's still evolving, even at 38.

BJJ export Rodolfo Vieira was another big winner of the card, defeating Tresean Gore to potentially set up one of the most interesting grappling matches possible in the UFC right now.

Without further ado, here are the fights the UFC should make for the aforementioned winners when the dust has settled.

Tatsuro Taira vs. Amir Albazi

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If it weren't for the existence of Joshua Van, Tatsuro Taira could be looking at a fight with flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja right now. Unfortunately for the Japanese star, Van does exist, and he's riding a thrilling three-round win over Brandon Royval—a man Taira recently lost to.

As a consequence, Taira will almost certainly need to win one more fight before challenging for the belt. If that's the case, the best choice is seemingly a rescheduled clash with Amir Albazi, whom he was originally set to meet on Saturday.

Albazi suffered a decision loss to former champ Brandon Moreno last year, but had won his first five fights in the Octagon. While the UFC might book Taira against somebody riding a win, Albazi is ranked two spots ahead of him, at No. 3, so the fight would be a deserved step up for the Japanese contender.

Assuming Albazi can get his health issues in check, this is still the fight to make.

Chris Duncan vs. Joe Alvarez

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Chris Duncan is on one heck of a roll.

After his win over Mateusz Rębecki on Saturday, the Scottish lightweight is now riding three-straight wins, including two submissions and two bonuses. Needless to say, he's earned another step up.

While some might argue it's still a bit early to match him up with somebody in the top-15, we could use some new blood in the rankings, with Dustin Poirier freshly retired, and legends like Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje seemingly on the way out. Why wait around?

From here, I'd suggest matching Duncan up with No. 15 lightweight Joel Alvarez. Alvarez, like the Scotsman, is riding three straight victories—his were all finishes, but he only earned one bonus compared to Duncan's two.

He seems like the perfect test for the rising Duncan right now, and it's an incredible matchup on paper that seems very unlikely to reach the judges' scorecards.

Neil Magny vs. Gunnar Nelson

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Neil Magny is never going to get his hands on the UFC welterweight title, but on Saturday, the experienced veteran proved he's still got a few tricks up his sleeve—tricks he didn't seem to have earlier in his career.

From here, I'd like to see him matched up with another middling welterweight veteran in Gunnar Nelson.

Magny was booked to fight Nelson on July 19—and back in 2018—but the fight fell through both times when the Icelandic grappler suffered injuries in training.

As long as Nelson isn't going to be out too long—he is prone to long layoffs—it would be nice to see this fight rescheduled. While Magny has a little more momentum on his side at this time, Nelson is precisely the kind of crafty grappler he's struggled against in the past.

Miraculously, Magny seems to be getting better. Let's see if he's good enough to beat a fighter who probably would have given him fits even a few years ago.

Rodolfo Vieira vs. Bo Nickal

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Rodolfo Vieira's decision victory over Tresean Gore may not have been the most exciting moment of Saturday's card, but it separated him from a tough loss to Andre Petroski. It could also set up a fascinating grappling clash—if the UFC decides it's the right move.

Vieira is one of the most decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialists to ever compete in the Octagon. Why not match him up with one of the sport's most decorated wrestlers in Bo Nickal?

A year ago, Nickal had way too much hype to be matched up with a guy like Vieira, but after suffering his first pro loss to Reinier de Ridder earlier this year, his stock has taken a massive hit. He's looking for a chance to get back on track, and Vieira would surely welcome a fight with a prospect of Nickal's caliber.

It's a fascinating fight on paper, and it would tell us a lot about where both fighters belong in the increasingly crowded middleweight division.