UFC on ESPN 71 headliner HyunSung Park vows to knock out Tatsuro Taira: 'I will break him'

2 days ago

LAS VEGAS – HyunSung Park isn't too worried about not having time to prepare for a short-notice main event against Tatsuro Taira.
In the UFC on ESPN 71 headliner at the UFC Apex, Park (10-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) meets Taira (16-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in a five-round bout at flyweight. It's a fight that came together on less than a week's notice when Taira's original opponent, Amir Albazi, went down with an injury. Park was scheduled to face former title challenger Steve Erceg next weekend at UFC on ESPN 72, but was pulled for this main event opportunity.
"Since this was such a short-notice fight, actually there was no camp, no preparation," Park told reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday's media day. "So, I'm just gonna fight with my regular skills."
Park's "regular skills" are anything but – he's an exciting finisher who has won nine consecutive fights by submission or knockout, including his first three under the UFC banner. In his debut year in 2023, Park submitted Seung Guk Choi and stopped Shannon Ross with strikes. A knee injury took him out of action for 2024, but in his first fight of 2025 in May, Park kept the finishes coming with a first-round submission of Carlos Hernandez.
South Korea's Park jumps straight from prelims fights into a main event slot against Japan's Taira, who has headlined multiple UFC Apex events. Although he recognizes Taira as a top opponent in the division, and he will have to deal with cutting weight a week earlier than expected, Park is confident he'll find a way to win.
"He's a good MMA fighter, but not too great, so I think I'll be able to beat him," Park said. "... Tatsuro is a tricky fighter, so this makes me really excited and I'm ready for it."
While Park acknowledges Taira's reach advantage might be a tough puzzle to solve, he believes he will figure it out in order to finish the fight early by knockout in Round 2 or 3.
"I will smash Taira Tatsuro," Park said in English. "... I will break him."