All eyes are now on Tatsuro Taira as he makes his first move in a UFC championship setting. As UFC 328 inches closer to its grand finale, where the headliner between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland promises fireworks, Taira will enter the octagon for a high-stakes battle against champion Joshua Van.

The duo were originally scheduled to meet earlier at UFC 327. However, Van’s injury pushed the fight back, leading to a rescheduling on the Chimaev-Strickland card. That change, however, has not diminished the fight’s appeal. If anything, it has only increased anticipation, with many fans now expressing interest in learning more about the fighter. Here are a few insights into personal information related to Taira ahead of the most critical fight of his career so far.

Where is Tatsuro Taira from, and What is Tatsuro Taira’s Nationality?

Tatsuro Taira is a native of Naha, the capital of Okinawa in Japan. The region, formerly known as the Ryukyu Islands, is widely recognized as the birthplace of modern karate. Yet despite that history, Taira’s early interest was in baseball before kickboxing and mixed martial arts eventually took over.

While details regarding his schooling and higher education remain limited, it appears he studied at a high school while pursuing his interests in sports and martial arts.

“It was the summer of my first year of high school, so I was 15 years old,” he said in an interview. “I played baseball in middle school, but I decided I was done with it in high school and didn’t continue. My older brother was doing kickboxing at Paraestra Okinawa, and he was going on Tuesdays and Fridays, so he invited me to join. And when I actually went, I found Chairman Matsune to be very kind (laughs). So I joined.”

He also went on to attend university before dropping out and making a complete switch to pursue his MMA dream.

What is Tatsuro Taira’s ethnicity?

By all accounts, Taira is Japanese. Given that he is from Okinawa, where people belong to an indigenous ethnic group, he shares a distinct identity, history, and culture often associated with the former Ryukyu Kingdom.

A private person who doesn’t reveal much about his personal life, Tatsuro Taira has, however, credited his parents, and particularly his grandfather, for being the driving force behind his success in MMA. They did not force him into activities he didn’t enjoy, which let him leave university and fully commit to MMA after becoming a judo champion.

Had it not been for his parents, then he would not have been here. “I never thought I was fighting like a veteran. This is just me. I have a lot of experience, and my parents did a great job of raising me, and I have a great team behind me. I want to continue competing at the highest level and truly become a veteran of the UFC,” he said.

Meanwhile, it was Taira’s elder brother who acted as the catalyst in turning his interest into a career in MMA. Following his older brother, Taira joined a gym and went on to win a series of amateur fights during that run. The lure of the professional setup eventually drew him into the professional ranks of the Shooto promotion, where his story took shape as it is known today.

Is Tatsuro Taira Christian?

Based on available information, it is difficult to confirm if Taira follows Christianity. He comes from Okinawa, a region known for its indigenous Ryukyuan religion. The local belief system is a blend of ancestor worship and animism and also includes influences from Buddhist and Shinto faiths.