Joshua Van Defends Flyweight Title With TKO Win Over Tatsuro Taira
UFC 328 delivered a historic title bout, as Joshua Van successfully defended his flyweight championship against Tatsuro Taira with a fifth-round TKO victory.
Van out-landed Taira 131-55 in significant strikes on the night.
The fight, contested by two Asian-born men for a UFC championship for the first time in history, also marked the youngest title fight in company history. Van is 24, and Taira is 26.
A Tale of Two Fighters
Taira controlled the opening two rounds on the ground, but he did not inflict significant damage during his top control. Van stuffed 13 of 21 takedown attempts, and Taira failed to capitalize on the ones he secured.
The momentum shifted late in round 2 when Van landed a hard right punch that visibly rocked Taira.
The Championship Rounds
In round 3, Van began landing power shots and even attempted a rear-naked choke, though Taira managed to escape.
Round 4 was closely contested, with Van winning the stand-up exchanges while Taira secured takedowns but again failed to do lasting damage.
Van then finished the fight in round 5 after sustained punishment, including body shots.
Dana White’s Reaction
Van credited his coach Daniel Pineda’s advice to target the body.
He also addressed former champion Alexandre Pantoja, who was in attendance. "You better get your shit right. We can run it back if you want," Van said.
A Historic Context
Van originally won the belt after Alexandre Pantoja withdrew due to injury. With the loss, Taira becomes the eighth Japanese fighter to lose a UFC title fight. Japan has yet to produce a UFC champion.