We examine the main event winner, fight card results, bonus prize winners, & payouts of UFC Vegas 98, which took place inside the UFC Apex Facility
Brandon Royval showcased resilience in the fifth round, outlasting a determined Tatsuro Taira in the main event at UFC Vegas 98. With the outcome hanging in the balance, Royval’s grit in the final round secured him his second consecutive headlining win. Two judges scored the fight in favor of Royval, while one gave the edge to Taira, who now stands at 16-1 as a professional.
UFC Vegas 98 payouts, purse, salaries, full fight card results list and bonus prize money winner details
Royval dominated the opening round, with the fight largely taking place on the feet. The aptly nicknamed “Raw Dawg” inflicted visible damage on Taira from the outset. However, the momentum shifted in the second round when Taira executed a well-timed takedown, controlling Royval from a dominant position for the majority of the round.
Rounds 3 and 4 mirrored the first two, with Royval excelling in the odd-numbered rounds, while Taira’s grappling prowess shone in the even ones. In the final round, despite absorbing heavy shots, Taira secured a takedown, but Royval quickly regained his footing, thwarting further attempts to keep the fight on the mat. The former title challenger nearly submitted Taira late in the round, but the bout ended before he could finish, cementing its status as an instant classic.
we examine the fight card results:
| Event | Weight class | Winner | Loser | Method | Round | Time |
| Main card (ESPN+) | Flyweight | Brandon Royval | Tatsuro Taira | Decision | 5 | 5:00 |
| Middleweight | Park Jun-yong | Brad Tavares | Decision | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Catchweight (172.5 lbs) | Chidi Njokuani | Jared Gooden | Decision | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Lightweight | Grant Dawson | Rafa García | TKO | 2 | 1:42 | |
| Welterweight | Daniel Rodriguez | Alex Morono | Decision | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Preliminary card (ESPN+) | Flyweight | Ramazan Temirov | C.J. Vergara | TKO | 1 | 2:50 |
| Featherweight | Pat Sabatini | Jonathan Pearce | Submission | 1 | 4:06 | |
| Welterweight | Themba Gorimbo | Niko Price | Decision | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Heavyweight | Junior Tafa | Sean Sharaf | TKO | 2 | 2:15 | |
| Women’s Strawweight | Julia Polastri | Cory McKenna | Decision | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Catchweight (138.5 lbs) | Cody Haddon | Daniel Argueta | Decision | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Flyweight | Clayton Carpenter | Lucas Rocha | Technical Submission | 2 | 2:12 |
UFC Vegas 98 salaries, purse details, & net payout of all fighters
By winning his main event fight against Taira, Royval will earn a minimum of $100,000 in base pay and $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus. His opponent, Taira, who earned $110,000 in his last fight against Alex Perez, is likely to receive a similar amount this time as well.
Tavares, who defeated Chris Weidman at UFC 292 last year, reportedly earned $200,000 for that fight and is expected to earn a similar figure in this co-main event. Meanwhile, Park is set to earn at least $85,000 in base pay for the match.
know the bonus award winners:
- Main Event Result: Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira (Decision)
- Fight of the Night: Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira
- Performance of the Night: Ramazan Temirov and Clayton Carpenter