Joshua Van will make his first title defense against tatsuro taira in Saturday’s UFC 328 co-main event. The flyweight champion has moved past the bizarre ending to the Alexandre Pantoja fight and now has a live challenger across from him. Van says the rematch with Pantoja can wait until after this one.
Van Chooses Taira
Van said the Pantoja fight is finished in his mind: “That is over with.” He added, “Right now, I’m just focusing on Taira. Like I said, me and Pantoja going to run it back anyways after this fight. I don’t think about that no more.”
He also backed Pantoja for another shot, answering “Facts” when asked about the rematch and saying, “He dominated the division. It’s only right they give him the rematch. Yeah, I really hope me and him can run it back.” That leaves Saturday as a title defense first and a rematch conversation second.
Two-Weeks-Notice Route
The path to Taira was not the first one Van wanted. He said the UFC initially offered him Taira or Manel Kape on two weeks’ notice, and he picked Kape. “It didn’t go through. Then for March 7, they said let’s do it and I said yes. Both of them said no, I guess. Now the UFC is like you’re fighting Tatsuro and that’s it,” Van said.
Van had even pushed for an earlier return and thought he might compete as early as February. Instead, the matchup settled on Taira, a fighter he described as one of the strongest grapplers in the flyweight division. Van also said he has heard the striker-versus-grappler talk, but he is not preparing as if Taira will only chase takedowns.
Van, Kape, And Taira
There is a clear difference between the two names Van was offered. He said there was bad blood with Kape on social media, but not with Taira. That matters because the fight that landed on Saturday is not built on a grudge; it is built on title stakes and a first defense.
Van made it plain that the matchups ahead are still there after UFC 328. “I’m definitely going to fight all of these guys anyway. I just want to get whoever. I just chose Manel because he called me out so I wanted to run that but now I’ve got Tatsuro to worry about. After that, whoever the UFC gives me.”
For now, the champion’s calendar is simple: Taira first, Pantoja later if everything lines up the way Van expects. Saturday’s co-main event will tell whether his first defense starts the same way his reign did, with one opponent in front of him and a bigger picture waiting behind it.
