Joshua Van is set for his first UFC flyweight title defense.
At UFC 327, Van (16-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) will meet top contender Tatsuro Taira, as the promotion has chosen to keep the division moving while Alexandre Pantoja heals from injury. The event takes place April 11 at Kaseya Center in Miami. MMA Junkie confirmed the championship booking with sources following a first report from Krazy Kev MMA.
Advertisement
Van won the UFC flyweight title by an unceremonious injury TKO against Pantoja at UFC 323 in December. The win not only crowned Van as the first Myanmar-born champion in promotion history, but it also extended his winning streak to six.
Taira (18-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC), who holds the No. 5 spot in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie flyweight rankings, will get his first crack at the title after winning back-to-back fights. In October 2024, he lost the only fight of his career by split decision to former title challenger Brandon Royval. However, he bounced back with a pair of second-round stoppages of Hyun Sung Park and former champion Brandon Moreno.
Current UFC 327 lineup includes:
-
Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira – for flyweight title
-
Dominick Reyes vs. Johnny Walker
-
Tatiana Suarez vs. Loopy Godinez
-
Paulo Costa vs. Azamat Murzakanov
-
Nate Landwehr vs. Cub Swanson
-
Kyle Daukaus vs. Vicente Luque
-
Randy Brown vs. Kevin Holland
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 327: Joshua Van set to defend flyweight title vs. Tatsuro Taira
