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- What: UFC Vegas 93 Main Event
- Who: Alex Perez vs. Tatsuro Taira
- Date: Saturday, June 15, 2024
- Location: UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada
- Time: Prelims (4:00 p.m. ET), Main Card (7:00 p.m. ET)
- How to Watch: Prelims (ESPN2), Main Card (ESPN2)
The UFC is back in Las Vegas for this weekend’s UFC Vegas 93 fight card. The headlining bout on the fight card is a flyweight contest between former UFC flyweight title challenger Alex Perez and the undefeated rising star, Tatsuro Taira. Perez enters UFC Vegas 93 as the No. 5 fighter in the official UFC flyweight rankings, while Taira checks in at No. 13. Here is some background on the main event combatants before we look at the betting breakdown of UFC Vegas 93: Alex Perez vs. Tatsuro Taira.
Alex Perez (25-8) ended a three-fight losing skid in April with a second-round knockout win over Matheus Nicolau. The 32-year-old’s winless stretch began in November 2020 when then-UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo submitted him at UFC 255. Losses to Alexandre Pantoja and Muhammad Mokaev followed that defeat. Perez has been with the UFC since 2017, he has a record of 7-4 with the promotion.
Tatsuro Taira (15-0) joined the UFC in May 2022. The 24-year-old was 10-0 at the time. He is unbeaten in five UFC fights and is coming off a second-round TKO win over Carlos Hernandez in December. Taira has never faced a ranked UFC opponent before UFC Vegas 93.
Before we look at the best bets for the Perez vs. Taira matchup on the UFC Vegas 93 main card, check out the best UFC betting sites and our betting picks for the main event of UFC 303: Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler.
UFC Vegas 93 Main Event: Alex Perez vs. Tatsuro Taira betting picks
| Fighters |  |  |  |
| Tatsuro Taira | -170 | -180 | -180 |
| Alex Perez | +145 | +150 | +150 |
Alex Perez betting breakdown
Don’t let Alex Perez‘s three-fight losing skid lead you to believe that he’s washed up or any easy fight for the rising Tatsuro Taira. Perez lost to then-UFC champion Deiveson Figueiredo in 2020, current champion Alexandre Pantoja in 2022, and the now-ranked No. 6 Muhammad Mokaev in March 2024. He ended that losing run with a “Performance of the Night” bonus-winning knockout over the betting favorite Matheus Nicolau in April.
The 32-year-old Perez is an active striker who finishes his combinations with powerful leg kicks. Those leg kicks that led to his TKO victory over Jussier Formiga in 2020. Perez is an aggressive striker. His best attacks are when he finishes his boxing combinations with nasty leg kicks before circling out of range of his opponent’s counters. He also has good takedown defense and scrambling abilities on the mat.
Perez lands 4.10 significant strikes per minute, with an accuracy of 45 percent. He gets tagged at a clip of 3.13 significant strikes per minute, and his striking defense is 59 percent. Perez lands 2.06 takedowns per 15 minutes, with a takedown accuracy of 44 percent. His takedown defense is 82 percent, and he averages 0.9 submissions per 15 minutes.
Tatsuro Taira betting breakdown
Tatsuro Taira has had a rocky road to UFC Vegas 93. He was initially booked to face Tim Elliott in May, but that fight was scrapped because of an injury to Elliott. The UFC then booked him to meet Joshua Van on June 1, but that fight was changed and moved to UFC Vegas 93 where Taira faces Alex Perez. This matchup marks a big step up in competition for Taira, as well as a huge opportunity. A win over a former title challenger like Perez could put Taira in the conversation for his own shot at UFC gold.
Taira is only one inch taller than Perez, but he has a five-inch reach advantage. That will come into play in this matchup as it will allow Taira to strike from the outside and force Perez to look to close distance. When Perez moves in close that will create openings for Taira to shoot his takedowns. Taira does not have a high takedown success percentage, but he is tenacious in his wrestling and will string attempts together to get the fight to the mat, which is where he excels. Taira has seven career submission wins, including two under the UFC banner. He is also unafraid to use his ground striking if an opening presents itself, which he did against Carlos Hernandez, scoring a second-round knockout win.
Taira lands 3.51 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy of 71 percent. He absorbs just 1.15 significant strikes per minute and has a striking defense of 47 percent. Taira averages 2.12 takedowns per 15 minutes of UFC action and succeeds on 41 percent of his attempts. His takedown defense is 71 percent, and he averages 2.4 submissions per 15 minutes.
Best Bets: UFC Vegas 93 main event – Alex Perez vs. Tatsuro Taira
The biggest question about this fight is if Tatsuro Taira is facing a foe as skilled as Alex Perez too soon in his career. I think it is. This fight will be a learning experience for Taira and show him and his camp what he needs to work on to reach the next level of the UFC flyweight division, but he won’t win. The betting pick is for Alex Perez to defeat Tatsuro Taira by decision.
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