UFC Predictions: UFC Fight Night: Amir Albazi vs. Tatsuro Taira

Next weekend marks the UFC's first event of August 2025. This time, the promotion is back at the Las Vegas APEX for a low-key Fight Night event.

UFC Fight Night: Amir Albazi vs. Tatsuro Taira is likely to fly under the radar after some big events, but hopefully, it should still produce some fun action.

Here are the predicted outcomes for UFC Fight Night: Amir Albazi vs. Tatsuro Taira.

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#1. UFC flyweight bout: Amir Albazi vs. Tatsuro Taira

Next weekend's headliner pits two of the UFC's top flyweights against one another. No. 4-ranked Amir Albazi will face No.6 Tatsuro Taira, and given neither man has fought for the title yet, to see the winner go up against Alexandre Pantoja or Joshua Van in 2026 wouldn't be a shock.

So will 'The Prince' find a way to victory, or can Japan's Taira claim his biggest win to date?

Albazi has climbed towards the top of the 125-pound division largely on the strength of his powerful grappling game. 5-1 in the octagon, his biggest win came over former title challenger Kai Kara-France in 2023.

That fight saw 'The Prince' given the nod after five very close rounds. The telling round - the third - saw Albazi ground and control 'Don't Blink', but on the feet, he did eat a lot of solid shots despite coming forward for the majority of the bout.

In his last fight, meanwhile, a loss to former champ Brandon Moreno, Albazi was largely outclassed. He simply couldn't get much at all going, with Moreno beating him up on the feet and stopping all but one of four takedown attempts.

Taira, meanwhile, gained a reputation for being a very dangerous grappler in his early days in the promotion. He used slick ground skills to tap out CJ Vergara and Jesus Santos Aguilar, and then wrecked Alex Perez's knee by taking him down from a standing back control position.

The Japanese star also lost his last fight - a huge title eliminator against Brandon Royval - but he did do better than Albazi did against Moreno.

In that fight, while Taira was beaten on the feet by 'Raw Dawg', he did very well on the ground - gaining takedowns and dominant positions at points and coming close with a few submissions.

Sure, he did gas out a little, but Royval is renowned for being able to push a hectic pace in a far different way than Albazi.

Essentially, while both of these men are willing strikers, they're probably both a little more comfortable on the ground.

In that area, given the scrambling skills that Taira has shown during his octagon career, it's likely that he will have a very slight advantage. Assuming Albazi can't simply smother him, then it's hard to see a path to victory for 'The Prince'.

This fight could definitely go either way, and it feels likely that it'll go the distance. However, Taira is probably just slightly better than Albazi, and he should gain a win.

The Pick: Taira via decision

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#2. UFC lightweight bout: Chris Duncan vs. Mateusz Rebecki

While neither of these lightweights has the biggest name, they both have pretty underrated records in a very deep division. Scotland's Chris Duncan is 13-2 with four wins in the UFC, while Mateusz Rebecki is 20-2 with the same number of octagon victories.

Who will come out on top in Las Vegas, then? It's hard to say.

Both men arrived in the promotion via Dana White's Contender Series, debuting in 2023. Interestingly, though, it took Duncan two attempts. His first appearance on that show saw him lose to Viacheslav Borschchev, before a knockout win a year later earned him a contract.

Since then, 'The Problem' has done well, losing only to Manuel Torres. Interestingly, despite his reputation as a banger and a brawler of sorts, both of his finishes in the octagon have come via guillotine choke.

It's fair to say that Rebecki has probably been more impressive in the octagon. He's only beaten the same number of opponents, but in Myktybek Orolbai and Roosevelt Roberts, he's taken out more known quantities.

More to the point, 'Chinczyk' has shown great skills in all areas, with powerful striking and nasty submission abilities from the top, too.

The big question around Rebecki is his conditioning. His loss to Carlos Diego Ferreira saw him do well early before completely running out of steam, and he also looked tired in his win over Orolbai, with that fight also taking place at 160 pounds. Whether Rebecki had weight issues, though, is unknown.

Overall, though, the Polish fighter is probably the more skilled of the two here, but whether he can get Duncan out of there before he tires out is the big question. If he can't, then 'The Problem' could easily overpower him down the stretch for a decision.

However, Duncan has not beaten anyone of Rebecki's level yet, and it's arguable that the same cannot be said the other way around.

With that in mind, the pick is 'Chinczyk'.

The Pick: Rebecki via second round submission

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#3. UFC Fight Night: The Main Card

In a lightweight bout, Elves Brener takes on Esteban Ribovics. This one is likely to be a throwdown of sorts, as both men prefer to stand and bang with their opponent. With both men also coming off losses, it's an important fight, too.

The most notable difference between the two, though, is in volume. Ribovics tends to throw at a much heavier clip than Brener, notably landing 147 strikes in a close split decision loss to Nasrat Haqparast.

If 'El Gringo' can push the pace against Brener, then the chances are that he'll be able to keep him on his back foot. It doesn't feel likely that Ribovics can put him away - it took Joel Alvarez serious effort to finish Brener - but he should win. The pick is Ribovics via decision.

In a bantamweight clash, Karol Rosa faces Nora Cornolle. Both of these women are ranked in the top fifteen, although it is worth noting that the division is remarkably thin outside of the top handful. The chances of either facing Kayla Harrison any time soon are slim.

Both of these women are relatively similar fighters, preferring to stand, although Rosa is probably more comfortable on the ground than her French opponent. With that said, based on reputation - she was a very high-level professional kickboxer - Cornolle is likely to have an advantage on the feet. This one will be close, but the pick is Cornolle via decision.

At welterweight, Neil Magny takes on Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos. This is a curious booking for Magny because, for once, it doesn't pit him against a hot up-and-comer.

It's also a dangerous fight for him. Dos Santos is almost certainly past his best - he's won one of his last four - but he can also crack. If Magny's chin has deteriorated at all, 'The Haitian Sensation' could be in big trouble here.

With that said, there's no shame in Magny's losses to Carlos Prates and Michael Morales, and we're only 18 months removed from him stopping Mike Malott impressively. If he can survive a barrage, then he's still got the all-around skills to win this. The pick is Magny via submission.

Finally, Grant Dawson faces Joel Alvarez in a lightweight bout. This is a well-booked fight between the No. 14-ranked and No. 15-ranked lightweights in the world, but who takes it?

Dawson is probably the more proven of the two. 'KGD' is 11-1-1 in the UFC, and is a workmanlike fighter with brutally effective ground skills. He isn't flashy, but he's definitely effective.

However, the worry here for him should be the ease in which Bobby Green turned his lights out in their 2023 clash. Not the most natural athlete, Dawson simply isn't that quick. Alvarez, on the other hand, is a fast, natural athlete who has finished all seven of his octagon wins, including four via knockout.

If Dawson can get 'El Fenomeno' down and grind on him, he could win this fight, but it doesn't feel likely. The pick, therefore, is Alvarez via KO.

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#4. UFC Fight Night: The Prelims

Picks in bold

UFC bantamweight bout: Rinya Nakamura vs. Nathan Fletcher

UFC middleweight bout: Rodolfo Vieira vs. Tresean Gore

UFC middleweight bout: Nick Klein vs. Andrey Pulyaev

UFC strawweight bout: Ketlen Souza vs. Piera Rodriguez

UFC featherweight bout: Danny Silva vs. Kevin Vallejos

UFC flyweight bout: Rafael Estevam vs. Felipe Bunes

UFC middleweight bout: Azamat Bekoev vs. Yousri Belgaroui