The UFC APEX is back!

Just kidding, the whole world has been watching and enjoying The Ultimate Fighter 33, so we haven’t even had a chance to miss the world’s most famous fighting warehouse, but if by some chance you haven’t glimpsed the APEX octagon since May, then boy oh boy, this is the card for you.

Tatsuro Taira has been locked in to Saturday’s UFC Vegas 108 main event for months, but he won’t be facing fellow top 10 contender Amir Albazi. Medical issues forced Albazi out and in steps the undefeated Hyun Sung Park, eager to claim Taira’s spot in the rankings. Taira is coming off of his first-ever loss, a competitive back-and-forth battle with Brandon Royval, while Park has been rolling since winning an inaugural Road to UFC tournament.

Something has got to give and no matter who wins, the headliner feels like a glimpse into the future of the flyweight division and possibly the beginning of a meaningful rivalry.

What: UFC Vegas 108

Where: UFC APEX in Las Vegas

When: Saturday, Aug. 2. The six-fight preliminary card begins at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+, followed by a six-fight main card at 9 p.m. ET also on ESPN and ESPN+.

Tatsuro Taira vs. Hyun Sung Park

Tatsuro Taira finds himself in the unenviable position of facing a replacement in Hyun Sung Park, who is less heralded than his originally scheduled opponent Amir Albazi, but arguably more dangerous. A win over Albazi would move Taira one step closer to a title shot. Not sure beating Park does the same.

That’s unfortunate, because Park has as much championship potential as either man ranked ahead of him. The South Korean prospect’s best weapon is a sneaky left hand he can either utilize as a jab to set up combos or as a counter to put a more substantial dent in his opponent’s jaw. He’s also incredibly strong and loves to attack the back if he can get his arms locked on.

Taira will gladly engage Park in the grappling game as he’s one of the flyweight division’s most exciting fighters when a fight hits the ground. He’s shown improved striking, too, as he was willing to go toe-to-toe with the relentless Brandon Royval in several exchanges. Though he lost that one, that was exactly the kind of high-pace fight that should prepare him to deal with Park’s aggression.

One factor I’m taking into consideration is that despite Taira being more established in the UFC and having more pro bouts, he and Park both debuted in 2018, so the competitive experience gap isn’t as wide as it might seem. Add in that Park is already in his athletic prime while Taira is still coming into his, and I lean towards the older, more filled-out fighter.

At 25, Taira isn’t close to a finished product and at that age consistency is hard to come by. So give me the grown man.

Park via maturity.

Pick: Park

Mateusz Rebecki vs. Chris Duncan

Prior to becoming a guillotine choke connoisseur, Chris Duncan was better known for trading thudding punches than his anaconda grip. So he won’t shy away from a brawl if Mateusz Rebecki draws him into one. Duncan’s size should also give him an advantage if he decides to force a grappling-heavy contest.

This is a fun-as-hell matchup, so compelling on paper that I’m willing to dub it a genuine co-main event even though neither man is ranked and there are zero short-term contender implications. Sometimes, it’s just nice to put the spotlight on a couple of hitters.

Rebecki is an absolute animal, but I’m still somewhat surprised he’s positioned as the 2-to-1 favorite. It helps that he’s shown incredible toughness in his first few UFC fights. Being hard to kill is one of the most undervalued MMA traits, I’ve always said.

If Rebecki doesn’t mess around on the ground, he should get the better of the striking exchanges in this one. He’ll come out guns blazing from minute one, daring Duncan to match his pace. Duncan will hang in there for the first five minutes before succumbing to some Rebecki hammers in Round 2.

Pick: Rebecki

Elves Brener vs. Esteban Ribovics

How about another lightweight banger that’s difficult to call? Elves Brener vs. Esteban Ribovics, come on down!

Esteban Ribovics is the comfortable favorite here, which is understandable given his sharp striking and—just like Rebecki—unkillableness (it’s a medical term). Brener’s aim should be to take Ribovics out early, but good luck with that. In 16 pro bouts, including a few recent outings in which he’s taken a considerable amount of damage, he’s yet to be stopped.

We know Brener can play the spoiler, but Ribovic can match his brand of crazy and meeting Brener on his terms is one way to prevent him from building momentum. Ribovics will trade with Brener until it’s time to lock back in pick his sports more judiciously.

This fight will be fun for as long as it lasts and I have Ribovics knocking Brener out late in Round 1.

Pick: Ribovics

Karol Rosa vs. Nora Cornolle

Hot take: Karol Rosa and Nora Cornolle might steal a Fight of the Night award here.

If the aforementioned bouts both end inside the distance (no guarantee, I know), then FOTN could be up for grabs for whichever two fighters can put together an exciting three-rounder. Rosa has quietly established herself as one of the most exciting fighters in the women’s bantamweight division (a low bar, I know) and she has the perfect dance partner in Cornolle.

There’s not much to break down here. This will start off as a technical kickboxing battle until one of them—likely, Rosa—decides to up the ante and go thrill-seeking. Rosa lacks finishing ability, but she loves to pressure and she is impossible to KO. Cornolle might want to consider taking Rosa down to avoid a coin toss on the scorecards.

I doubt Cornolle has the wrestling or the movement to do anything other than meet Rosa head on and in that kind of fight, I like Rosa’s chances to win yet another decision.

Pick: Rosa

Neil Magny vs. Elizeu Zaleski

Fact No. 1: Neil Magny, the UFC leader in welterweight appearances, has never lost three fights in a row.

Fact No. 2: It is Magny’s 38th birthday on Sunday.

The vibes are too strong. This is an automatic win.

I guess if we want to get technical with it, I’d point out Magny specializes in outlasting opponents and if he can avoid getting brained early, he should do just fine taking Elizeu Zaleski into deep waters in rounds 2 and 3. Then again, if his chin isn’t what it used to be... this could be bad.

Let’s keep in mind, Magny’s past two first-round losses were to bonafide sluggers Carlos Prates and Michael Morales. I don’t know if our takeaway from those results should be that Magny is shot, though Zaleski is capable of executing some spectacular strikes so it’s certainly an element of this matchup to keep an eye on. It’s also true Zaleski has one knockout win in the past six years and it came against Zach Scroggin. Draw your own conclusions.

I have Magny getting off the schneid with a classic performance where he outworks Zaleski en route to a late finish or a decision win.

Pick: Magny

Danny Silva vs. Kevin Vallejos

The UFC could have something special with Kevin Vallejos.

“El Chino” is a dynamic striker and he’s been on a tear since taking Jean Silva to the limit on Contender Series two years ago. Vallejos throws with incredible accuracy and they’ve given him an ideal opponent to style on in Danny Silva.

All Silva does is look to stay in the pocket and box, which will lead to several entertaining moments before Vallejos hits him with the big kibosh. To Silva’s credit, he’s never been finished, but there’s a first time for everything and I like Vallejos’ chances of being the one to pull it off.

Not too overhype Vallejos, but this has first-round knockout written all over it.

Pick: Vallejos

Preliminaries

Rinya Nakamura def. Nathan Fletcher

Rodolfo Vieira def. Tresean Gore

Andrey Pulyaev def. Nick Klein

Austin Bashi def. John Yannis

Felipe Bunes def. Rafael Estevam

Ketlen Souza def. Piera Rodriguez