Rising Japanese UFC star Tatsuro Taira gets next assignment in Carlos Hernandez

Rising Japanese flyweight star Tatsuro Taira has looked sharp thus far in his UFC tenure and will look to continue his trajectory on the promotion’s card in Shanghai, China.

Taira (14-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) will take on Carlos Hernandez (9-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in a three-round bout during the Dec. 9 event at Mercedes-Benz Arena. The card does not currently have an announced main event.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Eurosport NL first reported the matchup.

Undefeated in MMA as both a professional and amateur, Taira, 23, has remained active since he signed with the UFC in early 2022. Despite having three bout cancellations with the promotion, Taira will make his fifth walk to the cage in 19 months’ time.

Thus far in the promotion, Taira has wins over Carlos Candelario, CJ Vergara, Jesus Aguilar, and Edgar Chairez. He was expected to return Oct. 14 vs. David Dvorak, but Dvorak withdrew and Taira was removed from the card.

Hernandez debuted in the UFC in February 2022 when he won a split decision over Victor Altamirano. Following a quick submission loss to Allan Nascimento in his second promotional outing, Hernandez returned in June to defeat Denys Bondar by technical decision. Hernandez knocked Bondar unconscious on a slam. The referee deemed Hernandez’s head unintentionally clashed with Bondar causing the knockout, so the fight went to the judges’ scorecards.

The current UFC Shanghai lineup includes:

• Andre Muniz vs. Jun Yong Park
• Nasrat Haqparast vs. Jamie Mullarkey
• Carlos Hernandez vs. Tatsuro Taira
• Brendson Ribeiro vs. Mingyang Zhang
• Su Mudaerji vs. Allan Nascimento
• Hyun Sung Park vs. Shannon Ross
• Chang Ho Lee vs. Long Xiao
• Jiniushiyue vs. Rei Tsuruya
• Kaiwen Li vs. Yizha
• Shin Haraguchi vs. Zhu Rong