Joshua Van stuns with late finish. Joshua Van shines with late stoppage to finish Tatsuro Taira.
The co-main event of UFC 328 brought a major flyweight showdown as champion Joshua Van defended his title against rising Japanese contender Tatsuro Taira on May 9, 2026, at the Prudential Center. This wasn’t just another title fight, it was a clash between two of the youngest and fastest-rising names in the flyweight division, with championship stakes attached.
Joshua Van entered the UFC 328 co-main event as the reigning flyweight champion, riding serious momentum and growing hype. The 24-year-old had quickly become one of the division’s most exciting names, building a reputation for relentless pressure, clean boxing, and nonstop pace. Van captured UFC flyweight gold after defeating longtime champion Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 323 in a bizarre ending just 26 seconds into round one following an injury stoppage. Before winning the belt, Van earned a major unanimous decision victory over Brandon Royval.
Tatsuro Taira entered the co-main event as one of the division’s most respected rising contenders. Known for calm composure, elite grappling, and dangerous submissions, Taira brought an impressive record into this fight. Taira earned his title shot after defeating former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno in late 2025, a career-defining victory that moved him into championship position. Taira also rebuilt momentum strongly after suffering the first defeat of his professional career, returning with back-to-back wins heading into UFC 328.
The fight started and Taira wasted no time shooting in and locking up Van’s body early. He lifted him clean off the mat and slammed him onto his back before quickly advancing to full mount. Van worked hard to recover guard, but Taira smoothly transitioned into side control. Van nearly scrambled back up, but Taira threatened his neck, forcing him to stay cautious. Taira eventually let him stand, but not for long, as Van landed a few punches before getting taken down again.
Round two began and Van had better moments early in the second, cracking Taira with a big right hook. But before he could settle, he found himself back on the mat again, this time away from the fence. Taira passed straight into mount, but Van once again did well to recover half guard. After scrambling back to his feet, Van exploded with a huge overhand that dropped Taira badly. He jumped on him looking for the finish, but Taira tied him up and killed the space, surviving the danger.
At the beginning of round three, Taira looked slow and still shaken, his early takedown attempts were slow and easy to read, allowing Van to land several clean punches. One of Taira’s slower shots got met with a knee, and from there Van started piecing him up with almost every strike. He eventually dropped Taira again with a stiff jab, jumped on top, and went to work with ground-and-pound. Taira escaped then had to defend a rear-naked choke after Van took his back. Somehow, Taira escaped, got back to his feet, and showed real toughness by landing a late body lock takedown in the final 20 seconds of the round.
Taira returned to his wrestling early in round four securing another body lock takedown and steering Van away from the cage. He advanced back to mount and controlled position for a long stretch. Van later reversed the position, but nearly got caught deep in a triangle choke. He managed to escape, forced Taira back to standing, and landed some solid shots before the round ended.
Van started the final round pumping his jab. Taira shot for a single leg and pushed Van to the fence, but couldn’t finish the takedown. He kept chasing more entries, but Van defended them all. Van then ripped a nasty body shot that visibly hurt Taira. As Taira turned away hurt, Van followed up with more strikes until Taira dropped to a knee, forcing the referee to step in for the stoppage. Taira protested the stoppage, feeling it was early, but he was clearly in trouble and likely would have absorbed more damage if it continued.
“It feels damn good to be the champion again,” Van said after the win. “I said I was going to finish him inside three rounds and I almost did but he’s a tough motherf*cker. As soon as I got to the body, it was over. Shout out to Tatsuro, the Japanese fans and we can’t forget the Burmese fans.” “Pantoja, you better get your shit right,” Van shouted after his win. “We can run it back if you want.”
This was a strong showing from both men and another important step in Joshua Van’s rise as champion. Taira brought real challenges with his grappling and pressure, but Van’s striking made the difference over the five rounds of the bout.
UFC 328 Main Card
Sean Strickland def. Khamzat Chimaev via split decision (48×47 x2, 47-48)
Joshua Van def. Tatsuro Taira via fifth-round TKO (1:32)
Alexander Volkov def. Waldo Cortes-Acosta via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Sean Brady def. Joaquin Buckley via unanimous decision (30-25 x2, 30-27)
King Green def. Jeremy Stephens via submission (RNC) (R1, 4:20)
UFC 328 Prelims
Ateba Gautier def. Ozzy Diaz via second-round KO (1:10)
Yaroslav Amosov def. Joel Alvarez via submission (arm triangle) (R2 , 1:13)
Grant Dawson def. Mateusz Rebecki via submission (RNC) (R3, 4:42)
Jim Miller def. Jared Gordon via submission (guillotine) (R1, 3:29)
Roman Kopylov def. Marco Tulio via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Pat Sabatini def. William Gomis via unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Baisangur Susurkaev def. Djorden Santos via submission (RNC) (R3, 4:12)
Jose Ochoa def. Clayton Carpenter via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
