UFC ON ABC 5: Tatsuro Taira vs Kleydson Rodrigues 06/24/2023 Picks, Tips and Predictions

UFC ON ABC 5: Taira vs Rodrigues 06/24/2023 – Flyweight fighters Tatsuro Taira and Kleydson Rodrigues lock horns in a three-round match set on Saturday, June 24, at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. The showdown is part of the preliminary card for UFC on ABC 5 that will feature Josh Emmett and Ilia Topuria in the main event. Taira, who submitted Jesus Santos Aguilar in his last bout to earn his 13th straight win, stakes his unbeaten record against Rodrigues, who is coming off a sensational, one-round technical knockout win over Shannon Ross in his last fight in February. The world’s best sports odds place the Japanese as the overwhelming favorite in this encounter as he looks to continue his ascent to the top of the 125-pound category.

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Main Card

Tatsuro Taira

Taira (13-0, 3-0 UFC) has yet to suffer a loss in his career, making him one of the most exciting prospects in the flyweight class. After going 10-0 in Shooto and Vale Tudo Japan, the fighter from Okinawa has made his presence felt in the UFC, going 3-0. In those victories, Taira has won two by submission, including a one-round triangle armbar triumph against Jesus Santos Aguilar in his last fight. In that fight, the Japanese withstood Santos Aguilar’s early assault and patiently extricated himself from the choke attempt. Minutes later, Taira was able to grab dominant position and trapped his foe’s left arm behind his neck. The Japanese tried to execute a triangle choke but he decided to put Santos Aguilar into an armbar that the Mexican could not withstand. He was forced to tap out seconds later, giving Taira another victory that moved him to 13-0.

Stats-wise, Taira has stopped 10 opponents, seven of them by submission and three by knockout. In terms of striking, Taira has landed an average of 2.79 strikes per minute and is amazingly accurate, with 64% of his significant strikes hitting the vital parts of his opponent. The Japanese has been able to avoid most of the striking attempts against him as he only absorbed 1.05 strikes per minute. He was able to defend 54% of the strikes unleashed against him. In terms of grappling, Taira has been excellent. He averaged 2.62 takedowns per 15 minutes and his submission average is 3.66 per 15 minutes. Taira’s takedown accuracy is 35% and was able to stop 60% of the takedown attempts against him.

Kleydson Rodrigues

Rodrigues (8-2, 1-1 UFC) has been solid in his first two fights in the UFC. He lost a close decision to CJ Vergara in his debut fight in May 2022 but bounced back with a 59-second demolition of Shannon Ross in his second match in February. It was the fourth knockout win of Rodrigues in his young MMA career. He has been able to submit two of his opponents and emerged victorious via decision two times. The Brazilian needs to conquer Taira’s grappling onslaught and at the same time, unleash the rapid-fire strikes to have a good chance of winning the match.

The Brazilian has landed an average of six significant strikes per minute at an excellent accuracy rate of 61%. His defense is also top of the line as he has absorbed three strikes per minute and has defended 49% of the punches and kicks unleashed against him. Grappling-wise, Rodrigues is at a disadvantage to his Japanese rival as he has a takedown average of 0.97 per 15 minutes and his accuracy is just 25%. He makes that up in defense as he has held off 66% of the takedown attempts against him. His submission average is 0.97 per 15 minutes.