Joshua Van will put his UFC flyweight championship on the line against Tatsuro Taira in the co-main event of UFC 328 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Van enters the bout with a 16-2 record and the 125-pound belt he captured from Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 323. That victory, which came after the fight was stopped due to an arm injury suffered by Pantoja, made Van the second-youngest champion in UFC history.
Taira comes in at 18-1 and is riding momentum from recent wins, including a second-round knockout of Brandon Moreno. He rebounded from his first career loss to Brandon Royval with two straight victories.
Taira is now attempting to become the first Japanese fighter to win a UFC championship when he challenges Van for the flyweight title in Newark.
As anticipation builds for the co-main event, one rallying cry has followed the matchup: "Power to the People".
