MMA Junkie has live coverage of UFC 323 with round-by-round analysis of every fight.
Brandon Moreno and Tatsuro Taira meet on the main card of UFC 323 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
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Last event: 5-1
UFC main cards, 2025: 118-84-2
Brandon Moreno vs. Tatsuro Taira UFC 323 preview
Moreno (23-8-2 MMA, 11-5-2 UFC) enters his second fight of 2025 as a winner of back-to-back fights. The former flyweight champ dropped the title to Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 290, and then ended up on the wrong end of a split decision against Brandon Royval. However, he’s since gotten back on track, and eyes another title shot.
Standing in his way is Taira (17-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC), who also wants his shot at gold. The 25-year-old suffered his first career loss last October in a split decision loss to Brandon Royval. Taira rebounded in August with a second-round stoppage of Hyun Sung Park, and is now looking for his first win against a former champion.
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Brandon Moreno vs. Tatsuro Taira UFC 323 expert pick, prediction
Serving as a potential crossroads fight at flyweight is a battle between Brandon Moreno and Tatsuro Taira.
Despite officially picking against him more times than I care to admit, Taira has genuinely won me over in recent fights, making me very invested in seeing if he can make it to the top of the mountain in his weight class. And though I believe that Taira has the skills to do it, this is an undeniable step up for the young Japanese prospect.
Don’t get me wrong: Moreno, though improved in these areas, is not beyond being taken down or having his back taken. And if Taira can get the back just once, it could be game over for Moreno.
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I’m banking on Moreno’s superior striking and scrambles to win the day, but this has the same trap-fight feels as the Mexican fighter’s contentious scrap with Askar Askarov back in the day (a fight that I thought he won via damage, mind you).
Perhaps I’m setting myself up for heartbreak again, but I’ll semi-reluctantly side with Moreno to edge out the scorecards in what should be a very competitive fight that goes down to the wire.
Brandon Moreno vs. Tatsuro Taira UFC 323 odds
Despite the oddsmakers initially opening the former champion as a slight favorite, public money has flipped the line in the Japanese fighter’s favor, listing Taira -128 and Moreno +104 via FanDuel.
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Brandon Moreno vs. Tatsuro Taira UFC 323 start time, how to watch
Moreno and Taira are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 11:10 p.m. ET. The fight broadcasts live on ESPN pay-per-view.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 323: Brandon Moreno vs. Tatsuro Taira prediction, start time
