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UFC 290 Hot Prospect of the Week: A Quick Finish Expected for a Japanese Star

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UFC Octagon announcer Bruce Buffer introduces fighters during UFC 249. Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images/AFP

UFC 290 Hot Prospect Betting Pick

Tatsuro Taira in Round 1 -110 at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)

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Tatsuro Taira in Round 1 -110
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It’s that time of the week when we dive into another hot prospect betting pick. The UFC returns to Nevada for a highly anticipated PPV event brimming with prosperous talent, and we’ve located the ideal wager.

Continue reading for our UFC 290 betting guide and best bets, taking a first look at Tatsuro Taira and his opponent, Edgar Chairez.


UFC 290 Information

  • Date & Time: Saturday, July. 8, 2023 – 06:00 p.m. ET
  • Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Scheduled Fights: 14
  • Main Event: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez (UFC Featherweight Bout)

UFC 290 Hot Prospect Profile: Tatsuro Taira

  • Pro MMA Record: 13-0-0 (3 KO/TKOs, 7 submissions, 3 decisions)
  • UFC Record: 3-0 (2 submissions, 1 decision)

Following an ultra-impressive beginning to his UFC tenure (3-0), Japanese stand-out Tatsuro Taira is already on the brink of breaching the flyweight division top-15 rankings and, aged just 23, has already proven himself as a potential title challenger of the future.

Life on the Asian MMA regional scene left many question marks upon Taira’s arrival to the big leagues, but he’s silenced the critics since arriving at the UFC in 2022. He has scored three consecutive wins for the promotion, including back-to-back submission finishes from his past two contests.

His pro-MMA record remains unblemished at 13-0, and with a UFC 290 fight card stacked with prosperous talent, he’s just one of many hot prospects aligned with heavily juiced moneyline prices.


Taira vs. Chairez: The Fight Tape

We commend Edgar Chairez for taking such a difficult UFC debut matchup, but the task at hand will be incredibly difficult to overcome when evaluating his skill set.

Taira has been outstanding regarding his offensive grappling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and now he’ll face a UFC newcomer that’s already surrendered two submission defeats on the MMA regional scene.

Chairez is a heavy hitter and isn’t lost in the BJJ realm, but his defensive grappling has much to be desired. He suffered a guillotine choke loss to Jesus Aguilar in 2020 – an opponent Taira submitted in the first round earlier this year.

While MMA math isn’t a viable handicapping source, it reveals the opposition level that Taira can dominate in this instance. And while he could face adversity in a striking war, I don’t think the fight will stay on the feet long enough for us to witness this.


UFC 290 Hot Prospect Best Bet

The available UFC odds at the best US sportsbooks show a massive -1100 moneyline on Taira, and his expected victory is pretty much solidified.

However, the Japanese native doesn’t waste time in the octagon. He implements a grappling game plan 9 times out of 10 and kick-starts his blueprint almost instantly. For this reason, backing Taira to locate and finish a round one submission displays betting value we cannot find elsewhere.

Taira has won 8 of his 13 professional MMA contests within the first five minutes. Expecting him to achieve this for the ninth time, specifically when faced with an opponent presenting multiple defensive flaws, isn’t a reach and is one of the lone respectable pieces of value available for this bout.

UFC Pick: Taira Round 1 -110 at BetOnline [1.10u to win 1u]


UFC 290 Main Card & Odds

UFC 290 Preliminary Card & Odds

*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.