Joshua Van Defends Title Over Tatsuro Taira With Round Five Stoppage
While Joshua Van earned his flyweight title under unique circumstances, he proved to the world he is deserving of his championship status through his impressive TKO victory over Tatsuro Taira on Saturday night at UFC 328 in Newark, New Jersey.
In Van’s title match last year, then-champion Alexandre Pantoja suffered an injury to his arm during a takedown and could not continue. Van was declared the winner by TKO and awarded the 125-pound title as a result. Despite being happy that he achieved his dream of being wrapped in UFC gold and became the first ever champion from Myanmar, Van likely felt sour on the subject until tonight’s successful title defense.
While Van suffered early adversity in the form of the exceptional wrestling of Taira, by the second round the Burmese-American was putting on a striking masterclass for the fans inside the Prudential Center. Van even dropped the challenger with a hard right hand that could have been the end of the fight had there been more time left before the end of the round.
JOSHUA VAN DROPS TATSURO TAIRA IN ROUND 2 😳 #UFC328 pic.twitter.com/jv5njpXEUC
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 10, 2026
Despite the onslaught of punches that Taira was subject to in the first half of the fight, the heart he put on display to continue, and even bring the fight back to the ground where he was able to control the action, was on a level that does not exist outside the ranks of the most elite fighters in the world.
But even though Taira was fighting back, he was still taking considerable punishment in the striking department, and was ultimately finished by punches in the fifth and final round of the fight.
🚨 Qué noche para Joshua Van 🚨
Así terminó noqueando a su rival en el último round 😮💨#UFC328 | Ver en vivo por @PPlusDeportes pic.twitter.com/EMkM5Tf5Pe
— UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) May 10, 2026
UFC 328 Main Card Results:
- Sean Strickland def. Khamzat Chimaev via Decision (Split)—Middleweight Title Match
- Joshua Van def. Tatsuro Taira via TKO (Punces) Round 5, 1:32—Flyweight Title Match
- Alexander Volkov def. Waldo Cortes-Acosta via Decision (Unanimous)—Heavyweight
- Sean Brady def. Joaquin Buckley via Decision (Unanimous)—Welterweight
- King Green def. Jeremy Stephens via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) Round 1, 4:20—160-Pound Catchweight