Joshua Van (17-2) turned in yet another scintillating striking performance to successfully retain his flyweight championship with a fifth-round stoppage of Tatsuro Taira (18-2) in the co-main event of UFC 328 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Van endured long stretches of being repeatedly taken down and controlled by Okinawa's Taira but was persistent in getting to his feet and winning the striking exchanges. The blows eventually wore down Taira, and a late surge of striking in the final round sealed the deal and earned Van his first official flyweight title defense.
"I said I was going to finish him inside of three rounds, and I was almost there, but he's a tough motherf---er," Van said. "My coach said go to the body and finish him, and as soon as I did that, it was over."
The fight was originally slated for UFC 327 in April but was moved to UFC 328 when Van needed time to recover from a minor injury.
Van, 24, went 4-0 in 2025, including winning the flyweight championship when Alexandre Pantoja suffered an arm injury just 26 seconds into their title fight in December. With some questioning the validity of his championship, Van turned in an exceptional title defense that showcased his resiliency and superb striking prowess.
Taira, 26, imposed his will early, securing a takedown less than a minute into the fight but couldn't get much going before Van eventually popped up to his feet. This became the story of the fight for the first two rounds, with Van winning the striking exchanges until Taira pulled him in for a takedown. Taira had over 10 minutes of control time, but Van landed more significant strikes (131-55).
Near the end of the second round, Van hit Taira with a right hand that sent him to the canvas and swung the momentum. With a head of steam and growing confidence, Van put together a blistering display of striking in Round 3, bloodying Taira with combinations and sending him to the canvas with a stiff jab. But Taira found ways to stifle Van's momentum with a takedown and had a strong fourth round, when he controlled Van on the ground and searched for submissions.
The war of attrition came to a head in the final round, when Van blasted Taira with combinations, resulting in a stoppage at the 1:32 mark.
After the win, Van turned his attention to Pantoja, and the two are expected to fight in a rematch later this year.
"Pantoja, you better get your s--- right," Van said. "We can run it back if you want."