UFC Fight Night 233 Prelims: Tatsuro Taira, Now 15-0, Wrecks Carlos Hernandez

Tatsuro Taira once again served notice to the rest of the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight division.

The undefeated former Shooto champion put away VFS Academy rep Carlos Hernandez with punches in the second round of their featured UFC Fight Night 233 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Hernandez (9-3, 2-2 UFC), who had never before been stopped by strikes, succumbed to blows 55 seconds into Round 2.

The 23-year-old Taira (15-0, 5-0 UFC) countered a takedown into top position in the first round, and the rout was on. He progressed from half guard to full mount, then advanced to the back while consolidating his efforts with ground-and-pound. Early in the second, Taira stepped into a beautifully timed right hook. The impact froze Hernandez where he stood and left him defenseless to follow-up attacks. Taira drove him to the mat with punches and sealed the deal with ground-and-pound.

Taira was not the only unbeaten flyweight prospect to shine, as “Road to UFC” tournament winner Hyun Sung Park disposed of onetime Eternal MMA champion Shannon Ross with punches in the second round of their clash at 125 pounds. Ross (12-9, 0-3 UFC) met his end 3:59 into Round 2.

Park (9-0, 2-0 UFC) had the Aussie reeling throughout a lopsided first round. He dazed Ross with a counter right hook, dropped him with a jab and swooped into top position. From there, Park advanced to the back and established his position with a body triangle. Ground-and-pound and repeated choke attempts followed. Ross survived but only prolonged the inevitable. Park continued to lean into his punches in the middle stanza, delivered a brutal kick to the liver and forced his opponent into a defensive crouch with a pair of left hooks to the body. Ross failed to protect himself from the punches that came next, resulting in the stoppage.

The 28-year-old Park has recorded eight consecutive finishes.

Meanwhile, City Kickboxing’s Kevin Jousset outstruck and outworked Kenan Song to a clear-cut unanimous decision in their three-round welterweight affair. All three members of the cageside judiciary scored it the same: 30-27 for Jousset (10-2, 2-0 UFC).

Song (20-8, 5-4 UFC) failed to keep pace in the standup exchanges. Jousset assaulted him with repeated leg kicks, a punishing jab, crisp counters and dirty-boxing uppercuts at close range. Accumulative damage took a toll on Song’s face and his lower extremities. Jousset never took his foot on the gas and continued to pursue a stoppage with the verdict well in hand, throwing heat until the final bell sounded.

Jousset will ride a five-fight winning streak into his next assignment.

Related » UFC Fight Night 233 Round-by-Round Scoring

Further down the card, Jackson-Wink MMA standout Steve Garcia buried Melquizael Costa with a burst of elbows in the second round of their lightweight confrontation. Garcia (15-5, 4-2 UFC) brought it to a close and did so in emphatic fashion 61 seconds into Round 2.

Costa (20-7, 1-2 UFC) dictated the terms of their engagement from the rear waistlock position for much of the first five minutes. Garcia stayed composed, shielded himself from damage and got down to business in the second round. He sprang an immediate reversal after being taken down, escaped to his feet, blasted Costa with a knee and decked him with hooks from both hands. Garcia then swarmed with ground-and-pound, split open the former Predador Fighting Championship titleholder with an elbow and briefly flirted with a rear-naked choke. After he bailed on the submission, the longtime Greg Jackson protégé unleashed elbows until referee Chris Tognoni had seen enough.

Garcia has rattled off three straight victories.

Elsewhere, Team Alpha Male’s Luana Santos outgrappled fellow judo black belt Stephanie Egger to a unanimous decision in a three-round women’s bantamweight tilt. Santos (7-1, 2-0 UFC)—who missed weight for the match by three pounds—swept the scorecards with 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 marks from the judges.

Egger (8-5, 3-4 UFC) failed to properly manage distance and allowed her Brazilian counterpart to plow into the clinch without much resistance. Santos struck for takedowns in the second and third rounds, highlighted her efforts in close quarters with foot stomps and bled valuable time off the clock despite multiple restarts from referee Herb Dean.

Santos, 23, has won four fights in a row.

Finally, Talita Alencar remained undefeated in a successful Octagon debut, as she eked out a contentious split decision over former Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder Rayanne Amanda dos Santos in a three-round women’s strawweight pairing. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28: Sal D’Amato for dos Santos, Adalaide Byrd and Ron McCarthy for Alencar.

Dos Santos (14-7, 0-1 UFC) employed bulletproof takedown defense and clean counterstriking in the first round, only to see her output and effectiveness wane from there. Alencar (5-0-1, 1-0 UFC) executed a trip takedown in the middle stanza, operated in half guard and applied her ground-and-pound while salting away valuable time. Neither woman seemed willing or able to seize the reins when it mattered most. Alencar controlled the center of the cage down the stretch and did just enough to squeak by on split scorecards.

The setback snapped a three-fight winning streak for dos Santos.