Joshua Van Knocks Out Tatsuro Taira in Round 5 to Retain Flyweight Title
May 10, 2026 | Burma Independent Voice
Myanmar’s pride and world flyweight champion, Joshua Van, successfully defended his title by knocking out Japanese fighter Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328 in Newark, New Jersey.
In the opening round, Taira applied significant pressure on the ground, managing to take Van down four times. However, the champion showed resilience, repeatedly returning to his feet and countering with several sharp punching combinations.
Taira continued to favor a grappling-heavy strategy in the second round to control the pace, drawing boos from the crowd. Just before the bell, Van landed a devastating series of strikes that sent Taira crashing to the canvas.
By the third round, Joshua Van effectively neutralized Taira’s takedown attempts, delivering punishing blows that left his opponent bloodied. Despite the damage, Taira remained durable and managed to mount a brief defensive grappling sequence toward the end of the round.
Early in the fifth and final round, Van landed a powerful strike to Taira’s midsection. Following a barrage of subsequent shots, the referee stepped in to halt the contest, declaring Joshua Van the winner by TKO.
Van originally captured the title at UFC 323 last December after defeating Alexandre Pantoja. While critics previously suggested his championship win was a result of luck—due to his opponent suffering a dislocated elbow—his dominant performance against Taira has firmly solidified his status as a true champion.
