Joshua Van is set to make a historic first defense of his UFC flyweight title when he meets Tatsuro Taira in the co-main event of UFC 328 on Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Van, a 24-year-old Burmese champion five years into his professional MMA career, enters the bout with a 16-2 overall record and a 9-1 mark in the UFC. Taira, from Japan, brings an 18-1 MMA record and is 8-1 in the UFC.
The matchup has been described as the first time two fighters born in the 2000s and two male Asian fighters compete for a UFC title. Van embraced the moment, saying, "It feels familiar. This is not the first time I've fought a guy who was born in the 2000's," and adding, "This is the second time, it just happens that we're fighting for a title. Two Asian guys as well, so it's going to be great for the Asian community."
Van also highlighted the significance of the bout, stating, "This is the first time two Asian males fight for a title. Yeah, for sure."
Considered the underdog, Van remains confident in his chances to retain the belt and offered his view on Taira as an opponent: "I think he's a well-rounded guy. Everybody knows him for his ground, but he do have striking, too," Van said, before outlining his approach: "Come Saturday night, I'm going to make him play my game, and if we go to the ground, we'll beat him there too."
