Report: Van to defend flyweight title against Taira at UFC 327
Flyweight champion Joshua Van will make his first title defense against Tatsuro Taira at UFC 327 on April 11 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, sources told MMA Junkie's Matthew Wells and Nolan King.
Van (16-2) captured the title after Alexandre Pantoja sustained an arm injury just 26 seconds into their UFC 323 fight, making Van the first Myanmar-born champion in the promotion's history. The 24-year-old will step into the Octagon riding a six-fight win streak that includes a third-round TKO over Bruno Silva at UFC 316 and a unanimous decision over Brandon Royval at UFC 317 - the wins coming just 21 days apart.
The matchup would signal the promotion is moving forward with Van as champion while Pantoja rehabs from his injury.
Taira (18-1) will get his first title shot after earning a second-round TKO over former champion Brandon Moreno in December and submitting Hyun Sung Park in the second round last August. His only professional loss came by split decision to Royval in October 2024.
UFC 327 will also feature a featherweight clash between Cub Swanson and Nate Landwehr, as well as a middleweight bout between Kyle Daukaus and Vicente Luque.