UFC 328: Tatsuro Taira doesn't think Joshua Van really won the flyweight title against Alexandre Pantoja

Taira believes the injury Pantoja suffered is the reason he has the title and Saturday will prove who the real champion is

Brian Campbell

May 6, 2026

1:34 pm ET

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3 min read

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NEWARK -- When it comes to Saturday's UFC 328 co-main event, there is no shortage of firsts or potential historic footnotes at play when Joshua Van makes the first defense of his flyweight title against Tatsuro Taira.

The 125-pound bout is the first UFC title fight contested between two fighters who were born on the continent of Asia. It also marks the first time two fighters who were both born in the 2000s will compete for a UFC championship as the recent youth movement atop the men's flyweight division continues to unfold.

Even Taira (18-1), a 26-year-old native of Okinawa, Japan, can make history with a victory by becoming the first UFC champion from his home nation, which has been synonymous with mixed martial arts from the sport's earliest incarnations.

There is something else, at least according to Taira, in play when the two fighters touch gloves inside the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Given the fact that Van (16-2), a 24-year-old native of Myanmar who now lives in Houston, won his flyweight title at UFC 323 last December in just 26 seconds when Alexandre Pantoja suffered a badly dislocated elbow after Van shoved him to the ground, Taira believes the victory was not a "real" win.

"I don't think he really won the fight because it ended with injury," Taira told CBS Sports, through an interpreter, at Tuesday's UFC 328 media availability in nearby Morristown. "So, we are going to decide who is the true champion this Saturday."

Van, who is riding a six-fight win streak following his lone UFC loss to Charles Johnson in 2024 via third-round knockout, openly took exception to Taira's comments when relayed back to him later that day.

"[Taira] said that?" Van asked. "OK, OK. We are going to find out."

The injury to Pantoja was caused after he attempted a high kick with his right leg. Van was able to raise his arm to block the kick just in time and held onto Pantoja's leg for a second before pushing him down. Pantoja outstretched his left arm to soften the fall but immediately covered up in pain.

"Like I said, [Pantoja] is a black belt, right?" Van said. "He should know how to fall. That's the thing."

Despite the gruesome replays of Pantoja's arm upon impact with the canvas, the injury didn't require surgery. But even though the 36-year-old Pantoja, who made four defenses of his title from 2023 to 2025, was already back in the gym training for a return, UFC matchmakers surprised Van by going with Taira for his first title defense.

"For sure, [Pantoja] is who I wanted to see first but he needs some time to heal and hopefully we can run it back," Van said. "But I love [the Taira fight] because he's a well-rounded guy. A lot of people know him for his ground game but he actually has striking, too. Who is better to test myself against than someone like Tatsura?"

Taira is 8-1 since making his 2022 UFC debut and has rebounded nicely from a split-decision loss to Brandon Royval in 2024 by recording back-to-back stoppages of Park Hyun-sung and former two-time champion Brandon Moreno.

The loss to Royval also allowed Taira to make a friendly connection with the former title challenger that led to Taira spending time training in Colorado with both Royval and longtime bantamweight contender Corey Sandhagen during this camp.

"[Royval] was my first five-round match and I learned a lot about confidence, cardio and striking," Taira said. "I learned a lot about being a champion from Brandon Royval. [And Sandhagen's team] are always welcoming to us, so I really appreciate all of their coaches and teammates. They have great skill and I tried to improve and get better every day."

Taira said he will be looking for the finish from the start of the fight against Van until the very end.

"I think Van's strengths are his boxing and toughness, but I don't care," Taira said. "I'm just focused on the finish."

When it comes to being the betting underdog, all Van could do was laugh.

"I'm not surprised because almost every fight I was the underdog and I came out on top," Van said. "It's going to be fireworks. You guys might be able to see my ground game, finally.

"[Taira] is a good kid so, Saturday night, I'll be saying, 'I'm happy, thank you.'"

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