Check out live round-by-round updates and official results from UFC Fight Night 244 in Las Vegas.
UFC Fight Night 244 takes place Saturday, and you can join us for live round-by-round coverage and official results beginning at 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT). UFC Fight Night 244 (ESPN+) takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Former flyweight title challenger Brandon Royval (16-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC) takes on Tatsuro Taira (16-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in the main event. In the co-feature, JunYong Park (17-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC) meets Brad Tavares (20-9 MMA, 15-9 UFC) at middleweight.
Follow along with our round-by-round updates and official results beginning at approximately 4 p.m. ET for the prelims on ESPN+ and 7 p.m. ET for the main card on ESPN+.
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Enjoy the fights, everyone.
UFC Fight Night 244 lineup
MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)
Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira
JunYong Park vs. Brad Tavares
Jared Gooden vs. Chidi Njokuani
Grant Dawson vs. Rafa Garcia
Alex Morono vs. Daniel Rodriguez
Ramazonbek Temirov vs. CJ Vergara
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)
Jonathan Pearce vs. Pat Sabatini
Themba Gorimbo vs. Niko Price
Sean Sharaf vs. Junior Tafa
Cory McKenna vs. Julia Polastri
Dan Argueta vs. Cody Haddon
Clayton Carpenter vs. Lucas Rocha
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
Jun Yong Park and Brad Tavares meet Saturday on the main card of UFC Fight Night 244 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
Last event: 3-2 UFC main cards, 2024: 84-74-3
Jun Yong Park vs. Brad Tavares UFC Fight Night 244 preview
Park (17-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC) will enter the octagon for the first time in 2024. He will seek to rebound from a heartbreaking split decision loss to Andre Muniz in December, which snapped a four-fight winning streak that included three rear-naked choke submission victories. … Tavares (20-9 MMA, 15-9 UFC) will also look to bounce back from a loss in his previous fight. In February, Gregory Rodrigues stopped Tavares in the third round. Before the setback, Tavares won a unanimous decision over former UFC champ Chris Weidman.
Jun Yong Park vs. Brad Tavares UFC Fight Night 244 expert pick, prediction
The co-main event in the Apex features a re-booked attraction at 185 pounds between Park and Tavares.
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Despite my usual stated bias toward Tavares and his camp, this is a fight between two fighters I thoroughly enjoy watching.
It’s hard not to be a fan of Park, and I can see why “The Iron Turtle” is favored to win on the betting lines. That said, I suspect that Tavares quietly presents a tough stylistic test for the Korean.
Not only will Park have the arguable crux of his game stymied by his Hawaiian counterpart’s stellar takedown defense, but Tavares will also be one of the few fighters who can jab with him (something that has troubled Park the few times he’s encountered it in his UFC career).
Add in the calf kicks that I see being ponent on Park’s stance, and I can’t help but side with Tavares to edge out a competitive decision on the scorecards.
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Either way, I hope that Tavares finally starts to get more respect than he does for a fighter who has been able to stay afloat for so long in this organization.
Jun Yong Park vs. Brad Tavares UFC Fight Night 244 odds
The oddsmakers and public favor the Korean fighter, listing Park -188 and Tavares +152 via FanDuel.
Jun Yong Park vs. Brad Tavares UFC Fight Night 244 start time, how to watch
Park and Tavares are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 9:05 p.m. ET (6:05 p.m. PT). The fight will stream on ESPN+.
Joel Klatt, Matt Leinart and Mark Ingram discussed who has the edge the rest of the way in the Big 12 conference. They discuss teams such as the Kansas State Cougars, Colorado Buffaloes and more!
Like just about everybody who witnessed UFC 306 at Sphere, flyweight contender Tatsuro Taira marveled at the grand presentation celebrating Mexican Independence Day.
While the show cost over $20 million to produce, UFC CEO Dana White made it his personal mission to put on an unforgettable live event after the $2.3 billion arena featuring massive wraparound LED screens first opened in Las Vegas. Thanks to the UFC’s contract with MGM, White has said that the card as Sphere is a “one and done’ but Taira still holds out hope that one day he could see the UFC put on a show there with a love letter to his home country of Japan.
“That would definitely be a dream, whether that’s a title fight or I’m defending my title,” Taira told MMA Fighting. “Seeing that history of Japanese MMA in the Sphere, presenting that would be my dream.”
Considering how many ties martial arts holds back to Japan, it’s tough to imagine that wouldn’t be a spectacular exploration of history for the UFC to promote.
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As much as he would love to see Japanese combat sports get that kind of spotlight, Taira admits he’d do just about anything to get a fight on any UFC card at Sphere.
“It was amazing, Taira said. “The whole event as the night itself was so impressive and amazing. If they come back next year, I definitely want to be on the card.”
First things first, Taira has to take care of his own business on Saturday at UFC Vegas 98 when he faces former title challenger Brandon Royval in the main event.
Despite the fact that nothing has been promised, Taira truly believes a win over an established contender like Royval should probably put him in title contention, especially since reigning UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja still doesn’t have an opponent for his next fight yet.
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“Yes, obviously, I’m hoping for the title fight after this,” Taira said. “It will be a good matchup against Pantoja. Of course, focused on this one, get this one and then get Pantoja next.
“First up is this Royval match in October. If I beat him, I’ll be ready to fight any time against the champ.”
Through 16 fights in his career, Taira remains undefeated and he’s currently 6-0 in the UFC with four finishes along the way.
He looks to extend that stream to 17 this weekend and while some fighters shy away from talking about an unblemished record, Taira is proud of his achievement. In fact, Taira hopes to hold unto that undefeated resume all the way through his eventual shot at becoming UFC champion.
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“I’m very proud that I’m still undefeated,” Taira said. “Does it give additional pressure? The answer would be yes. But at the same time, that pressure is what brought me here. So I do like the pressure and being undefeated.
“So far I’ve been undefeated but the process is basically one by one. You get this new opponent and you focus on that opponent and keep getting the win. That process has brought me here. Of course if I can get the title shot as an undefeated fighter and get the championship belt the same, it would be a dream of all the fans and fighters, someone to look up to. So I definitely look forward to that.”
When it comes to the Royval fight, Taira was definitely excited when he got the call not only because winning should put him that much closer to the championship but he knows this is the kind of opponent that makes things exciting.
Royval prides himself on being one of the most entertaining fighters on the entire UFC roster and Taira knows that kind of style gives him a lot to work with.
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“Royval, I definitely see him as a finisher,” Taira said. “I can see from his fights that he’s always looking for that moment. I think the other thing is his stamina. That’s on the top level of the division.
“I was very excited. Got my last fight against Alex Perez so now I’m here to fight the No. 1 ranked [flyweight]. So I’m very excited. “
Point spread: Bears -1 (Bears favored to win by more than 1 point, otherwise Jaguars cover) Moneyline: Bears -118 favorites to win(bet $10 to win $18.47 total); Jaguars -102 underdogs to win (bet $10 to win $19.80 total) Total scoring Over/Under: 44.5 points scored by both teams combined
Point spread: Packers -5.5 (Packers favored to win by more than 5.5 points, otherwise Cardinals cover) Moneyline: Packers -238 favorites to win(bet $10 to win $14.20 total); Cardinals +195 underdogs to win (bet $10 to win $29.50 total) Total scoring Over/Under: 47 points scored by both teams combined
Point spread: Titans -3 (Titans favored to win by more than 3 points, otherwise Colts cover) Moneyline: Titans-148 favorites to win(bet $10 to win $16.76 total); Colts +124 underdogs to win (bet $10 to win $22.40 total) Total scoring Over/Under: 43 points scored by both teams combined
Point spread: Texans -6.5 (Texans favored to win by more than 6.5 points, otherwise Patriots cover) Moneyline: Texans -278 favorites to win(bet $10 to win $13.60 total); Patriots +225 underdogs to win (bet $10 to win $32.50 total) Total scoring Over/Under: 37.5 points scored by both teams combined
Point spread: Bucs -3.5 (Bucs favored to win by more than 3.5 points, otherwise Saints cover) Moneyline: Buccaneers -170 favorites to win (bet $10 to win $15.88 total); Saints +142 underdogs to win(bet $10 to win $24.20 total) Total scoring Over/Under: 42 points scored by both teams combined
Point spread: Eagles -9.5 (Eagles favored to win by more than 9.5 points, otherwise Browns cover) Moneyline: Eagles -470 favorites to win(bet $10 to win $12.13 total); Browns +360 underdogs to win (bet $10 to win $46 total) Total scoring Over/Under: 42.5 points scored by both teams combined
Point spread: Ravens -7 (Ravens favored to win by more than 7 points, otherwise Commanders cover) Moneyline: Ravens -310 favorites to win(bet $10 to win $13.23 total); Commanders +250 underdogs to win (bet $10 to win $35 total) Total scoring Over/Under: 51.5 points scored by both teams combined
Point spread: Chargers -3 (Chargers favored to win by more than 3 points, otherwise Broncos cover) Moneyline: Chargers -148 favorites to win(bet $10 to win $16.76 total); Broncos +124 underdogs to win (bet $10 to win $22.40 total) Total scoring Over/Under: 35.5 points scored by both teams combined
Point spread: Steelers -3 (Steelers favored to win by more than 3 points, otherwise Raiders cover) Moneyline: Steelers -162 favorites to win(bet $10 to win $16.17 total); Raiders +136 underdogs to win (bet $10 to win $23.60 total) Total scoring Over/Under: 36.5 points scored by both teams combined
Point spread: Lions -3 (Lions favored to win by more than 3 points, otherwise Cowboys cover) Moneyline: Lions -166 favorites to win(bet $10 to win $16.02 total); Cowboys +140 underdogs to win (bet $10 to win $24 total) Total scoring Over/Under: 52.5 points scored by both teams combined
Point spread: Falcons -6 (Falcons favored to win by more than 6 points, otherwise Panthers cover) Moneyline: Falcons -258 favorites to win(bet $10 to win $13.88 total); Panthers +210 underdogs to win (bet $10 to win $31 total) Total scoring Over/Under: 47 points scored by both teams combined
Point spread: Bengals -3.5 (Bengals favored to win by more than 3.5 points, otherwise Giants cover) Moneyline: Bengals -185 favorites to win(bet $10 to win $15.41 total); Giants +154 underdogs to win (bet $10 to win $25.40 total) Total scoring Over/Under: 47 points scored by both teams combined
Point spread: Bills -2 (Bills favored to win by more than 2.5 points, otherwise Jets cover) Moneyline: Bills -135 favorites to win(bet $10 to win $17.41 total); Jets +114 underdogs to win (bet $10 to win $21.40 total) Total scoring Over/Under: 40.5 points scored by both teams combined
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