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All Aboard The Tatsuro Taira Train – UFC

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The Tatsuro Taira bandwagon is filling up as the flyweight prospect looks to make it 4-0 in the Octagon against newcomer Edgar Chairez this Saturday, but the calmest 23-year-old you’ll ever meet isn’t flustered by all the acclaim.
“I pay attention to it because I really love my fans and appreciate all the support, at home in Japan and internationally,” Taira said. “Honestly, I want to get noticed and I want more attention, because I want to bring the UFC to Japan.”
The last time the Octagon was in the land of the rising sun was September of 2017, and already, the MMA scene in Japan wasn’t as robust as it once was. But with fighters like the unbeaten Taira starting to make noise in the UFC, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and he’s already starting to see a shift.
How To Watch UFC 290 In Your Country
“There’s been an increase in support, which I’m really grateful for,” he said. “Japan has amazing MMA fans; I feel like the country has gotten behind me, and it motivates me.”
Taira is an easy sell to both new and old fans of the sport. First, and most importantly, he can fight. But he also has a grace and poise in and out of the Octagon, and that’s not only helped him to victories over Carlos Candelario, CJ Vergara and Jesus Aguilar, but allowed him to navigate fighting for the biggest promotion in the sport. And in his eyes, that calm, cool and collected approach to his day job is the secret to his success.
MORE UFC 290: Full Fight Card Preview | Fantasy Stats | Coach Breakdown
“I’d have to say (the key) is my mindset,” he said. “I’ve always envisioned where and what I want to be. I have a strong spirit to bring the championship belt to Japan whenever I enter the cage, and that’s what’s fueled my success so far. I work very hard, and I enjoy the process.”
And while there was a twist in the road on his way to Saturday’s bout when his June 24 bout with Kleydson Rodrigues was scrapped when the Brazilian had weight cutting issues, Mexico’s Chairez stepped in, Taira gets a fight, and he believes a win will get him into the rankings at 125 pounds.
DraftKings Best Bets For UFC 290
“Entering the rankings is important because I want to fight against the best of the best,” said Taira. “I think a victory will get me into the Top 15, and I want to work my way up as soon as possible.”
Once he’s there, the dream isn’t a secret. Taira wants to wear those UFC gloves in his home country.
“That is one of my biggest dreams,” he said. “MMA has a proud history in Japan, and my goal is to strengthen and honor that tradition, and help it grow as much as possible. I want to bring the world to Japan.”
UFC BREAKDOWN: Volkanovski vs Rodriguez | Moreno vs Pantoja 2
If he hits his mark, expect to see his biggest fan – his grandfather – in attendance, or at least watching from home, like he inevitably will be when Taira takes to the Octagon against Chairez.
“My grandfather is confident in me but, as an elder, he worries about me a lot,” said Taira. “But honestly, I’m just as concerned for him. It’s important he remains healthy, especially while I’m gone, because I already can’t wait to see him again.”
Order UFC 290: Volkanovski vs Rodriguez
Don’t miss a moment of UFC 290: Volkanovski vs Rodriguez, live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Prelims start at 8pm ET/5pm PT on ABC and ESPN, while the main card kicks off live on PPV at 10pm ET/7pm PT.
Go Behind The Scenes With The Athletes Fighting At UFC 290: Volkanovski vs Rodriguez In Las Vegas On July 8, 2023 
Former Power Slap Heavyweight Champion Ron “Wolverine” Bata Is Proud To See The Sport Grow And Looks Forward To An Ep
Power Slap 3 Headliner AyJay Hintz Feels Right At Home Defending His Light Heavyweight Title And Knocking Out Challen
Don’t Miss A Single Event Of The Biggest Fight Week Of The Year In Las Vegas! 
Event Streams Live And Free Across The Globe Exclusively On Rumble. Featured Light Heavyweight Title Match: Ayjay “Static” Hintz (C) vs Wolverine (#1)
Go Behind The Scenes With The Athletes Fighting At UFC 290: Volkanovski vs Rodriguez In Las Vegas On July 8, 2023 

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Bar owner among 2 killed after fight leads to shooting outside Sacramento County bar – CBS News

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By Brandon Downs, Cecilio Padilla
/ CBS Sacramento
SACRAMENTO COUNTY – Two men died after they were shot outside of a bar in Sacramento County early Sunday morning, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said. 
Deputies responded to Sacto By Night at 7121 Governors Circle at about 1:45 a.m. 
A group of people who were leaving the bar got into a fight outside, leading to a shooting, deputies said. 
The victims, who were two men, died at the scene, deputies said. One of them was the owner of the bar.
Investigators with the sheriff’s office believe a group of gang members who initially refused to leave the nightclub at closing is at the center of the incident. Those gang members apparently got involved in a fight in the parking lot, investigators said, with the suspected shooter being one of those gang members.
Witnesses described a white vehicle that took off from the scene. Deputies said the CHP located a vehicle matching the description and detained four people from that vehicle. 
The people detained have since been identified as being allegedly involved in the shooting. Several guns have been recovered. 
According to the sheriff’s office, the names of the suspects will be released once homicide and related charges are filed.
Brandon comes to CBS13 from Action News Now (KHSL/KNVN) in Chico where he spent two years as the Digital Content Manager.
First published on November 26, 2023 / 3:05 PM PST
© 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
©2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Rankings Shakeup: Is Tom Aspinall MMA’s No. 1 heavyweight? Plus Alex Pereira rattles the rankings… again – MMA Fighting

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UFC 295 promised two new champions and two men stepped up and delivered.
By the end of Saturday night, Alex Pereira laid claim to the light heavyweight title that has been tossed around like a hot potato over the past two years and Tom Aspinall became the interim champion of a heavyweight division that won’t see its undisputed titleholder compete anytime soon.
So the question has to be asked: Are these two truly the best in the world in their respective weight classes?
First off, let’s look at where Aspinall landed in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings after his momentous win over Sergei Pavlovich.
Aspinall received five first-place votes to Jon Jones’ three, edging Jones out by the narrowest of possible margins. That makes sense given that our aforementioned question looms larger for Aspinall than it does for Pereira.
Interim implies that Aspinall’s time at the top is designed to be finite while the undisputed champ recovers from a pectoral injury. Jones looked nothing short of dominant when he bulldozed Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 and was worthy of the No. 1 spot even without having defeated lineal champion Francis Ngannou (who was only recently removed from our rankings due to MMA inactivity). However, with that being Jones’ lone win in the division and the likelihood that it will be over a year between fights for him by the time he returns, Aspinall marches past him in our rankings.
Call it disrespectful to the GOAT if you will, call it recency bias, but it’s easy to make a case that Aspinall deserves to be called the best heavyweight in the world right now. He’s 7-1 in the UFC now with all of his wins coming by way of knockout or submission and that lone loss being due to a freak injury. Unlike Jones, he’s actually been active in the division knocking off ranked opponents including Pavlovich, Marcin Tybura, Alexander Volkov, and Serghei Spivac. Just as importantly, he’ll probably remain active in early 2024.
You can credit Jones for his sterling work at light heavyweight, but at the end of the day it is a different division and, respectfully, the last time he had a dominant win at 205 pounds was well over four years ago.
Full disclosure, I am one of the panelists who voted for Aspinall and after reviewing the facts, Aspinall sounds like a proper No. 1-ranked fighter to me. Sorry, “Bones.”
Alex Pereira’s case to be No. 1 is more clear-cut and while he tops our light heavyweight rankings more comfortably, he still falls short of undisputed status.
Six of our panelists crowned Pereira as MMA’s best at 205 pounds after his second-round knockout of our incumbent No. 1 Jiri Prochazka, which is as insane as it sounds given that the Glory Kickboxing Hall of Famer is barely a year removed from beating Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title in just his eighth pro MMA fight. Saturday’s fight with Prochazka was his 11th.
These things just… aren’t supposed to happen? Getting fast-tracked to one title and delivering? Fine, we’ve seen plenty of fighters do that under varying circumstances. But romping to two UFC titles in under a dozen fights in the modern era? What are we even doing anymore?
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Those conundrums may explain why Pereira’s bid for No. 1 wasn’t backed by a pair of voters, who instead went with Jamahal Hill—who vacated the UFC light heavyweight title due to injury—and Bellator’s Vadim Nemkov instead. Like Aspinall, Hill and Nemkov have a case based on their activity in the division. Should Pereira’s wins over Prochazka and Jan Blachowicz outweigh Hill’s recent hot streak (including a one-sided drubbing of then-champion Glover Teixeira) or Nemkov’s sensational Bellator championship run (the man hasn’t lost a fight in seven years!)?
Admittedly, part of the hesitance to rank Pereira No. 1 has to come from our rational minds struggling to come to grips with what he’s accomplished in his brief cagefighting career. It just doesn’t make sense. That said, until Hill returns or Nemkov jumps ship or Magomed Ankalaev fights his way out of limbo, Pereira is as deserving of the top spot as anyone.
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How Tyson Fury survived a stunning Francis Ngannou knockdown in controversial split decision win – The Athletic

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How Tyson Fury survived a stunning Francis Ngannou knockdown in controversial split decision win  The Athletic
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