Joshua Van Retains Title in Bloody New Jersey Bout

Joshua Van successfully defended his UFC flyweight title for the first time, securing a technical knockout victory over Tatsuro Taira in the main undercard fight of UFC 328 in New Jersey. The fight concluded in the fifth and final round.

This marked the 24-year-old Van's inaugural title defense, having claimed the belt earlier this year with a win over Alexandre Pantoja. The victory also extended Joshua Van's impressive UFC winning streak to seven consecutive fights.

Taira wasted no time, scoring a takedown within the first minute of the bout. He quickly transitioned to a dominant mount position, then to side control. However, Van expertly utilized the cage to scramble back to his feet. The Japanese fighter countered with an attempted choke, but it was unsuccessful. The fighters returned to striking, exchanging several clean blows before Taira once again took the fight to the ground with a double-leg takedown. The 24-year-old American, with Myanmar roots, managed to stand up again, only to be taken down once more and controlled on the canvas until the final five seconds of the round. Van ultimately ended the round on his feet, but these repeated scrambles against the cage clearly sapped his energy.

Van defended the first takedown attempt in the second round and reddened Taira's face with a few right hooks, but midway through the round, he was taken down to the mat again. The Japanese fighter displayed excellent ground control for nearly two minutes, but when they stood up, Van landed a powerful right hand that sent Taira to the canvas. On the ground, Van landed more significant strikes, but Taira defended well and survived the onslaught.

Van gained momentum in the third round, pursuing his opponent around the octagon and bloodying him with powerful boxing combinations. Midway through the round, he dropped Taira again with a straight left. The 24-year-old champion pounced on his opponent on the ground, attempting to finish the fight with a submission, but was unsuccessful. The fighters returned to their feet. Taira appeared rocked and fatigued, but he finished the round stronger with a takedown and more powerful strikes.

The representative from the Land of the Rising Sun seemed revitalized in the fourth round. He started more aggressively and took the fight to the ground, where he demonstrated excellent control and passed guard once again. Van managed to reverse the position in his favor, albeit risking a submission attempt. The fighters stood up again and exchanged blows, but without the same power and freshness.

In the decisive fifth round, Van showcased excellent takedown defense early on, then landed powerful boxing combinations that visibly rocked Taira. This prompted referee Vitor Ribeiro to step in and stop the fight, awarding Van the technical knockout victory.