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Rising UFC fighter Tatsuro Taira seems to have one thing in common with UFC's former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
Taira is considered to be one of Asia's brightest talents with a professional record of 14-0 and he has been a part of the UFC for a little over 18 months, fighting four times. Moreover, he has found a lot of attention after people discovered his love for Naruto.
The team of Naruto even reached out to him after seeing the fighter's popularity for a collaboration as well. Speaking about it during a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Tatsuro Taira said:
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“What surprised me most may be that I was able to work with ‘Naruto’, my favorite manga. It was a great honor that they noticed I am a big fan of ‘Naruto’ through my fights."
Tatsuro Taira's love for anime is something he has in common with Israel Adesanya. The former UFC Middleweight champion is known for his love for anime and even his ring name, 'The Last Stylebender,' is a shout-out to the legendary anime series, Avatar: The Last Air Bender.
Moreover, Israel Adesanya is known for paying tribute to various animes during his fights and has shown off Naturo ninja hand signs many a time during his bouts.
Tatsuro Taira wanted to be a baseball player as a kid
During the same interview with MMA Junkie, Tatsuro Taira recalled how he wanted to be a baseball player growing up. However, life had different plans for him and he has set his eyes on becoming a UFC champion now.
While Taira, 23, has a long way to go before he gets a title shot, he seems to be confident in his ability and believes he can certainly achieve it in the future. He said:
“I was an elementary/junior high student, I remember saying I want to be a professional baseball player in the future. But this is completely different. That was just a small dream, but being UFC champion is my goal. I want it with all my heart, and even though it’s my biggest dream, I’m confident that I can achieve it."
Taira will be back in action this Saturday (9 December) when he takes on Carlos Hernandez in a flyweight bout at UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Gutierrez.
