Tatsuro Taira will enter UFC 328 as the betting favorite when he challenges flyweight champion Joshua Van in the co-main event at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Saturday.
Despite holding the belt, Van is listed as a slight underdog against the surging contender. Taira brings an 18-1 MMA record and an 8-1 UFC mark into his first title opportunity.
Van captured the flyweight title in December at UFC 323 with a win over Alexandre Pantoja and now defends it for the first time. He enters the bout with a 16-2 MMA record and a 9-1 UFC record.
Taira’s lone career defeat is a split decision against Brandon Royval, but he rebounded in a big way at UFC 323, where he stopped former champion Brandon Moreno by TKO. At UFC 328, he will attempt to become the first Japanese fighter to win a UFC belt.
