At UFC 328, Joshua Van walked through the toughest test of his career and left with his biggest win ever.
He rallied late to stop Tatsuro Taira at 1:32 of Round 5 in a violent flyweight title fight Saturday night at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Opening rounds
Taira controlled large portions of the early rounds with his wrestling. He repeatedly dragged Van to the mat, advanced to dominant positions, and threatened with submissions. Van never stayed trapped for long. Every escape came with punishment attached.
The opening round belonged largely to Taira. He chopped at Van’s lead leg and landed multiple takedowns, including an early transition to full mount. Van managed to scramble free late and answered with sharp punches before the horn.
Round 2 followed a similar pattern. Taira pressured forward and kept hunting takedowns. Van defended several attempts along the fence, but Taira still found success on the mat. The momentum shifted in the closing seconds when Van blasted Taira with a massive right hand that dropped him to the canvas.
That shot changed the fight.
Van came out aggressively in the third and started picking Taira apart on the feet. His jab snapped Taira’s head back repeatedly. A knee up the middle punished another takedown attempt. Seconds later, Van cracked Taira with combinations that left his face bloodied.
Taira survived another scare after Van dropped him with a stiff jab and nearly secured a rear-naked choke during a wild scramble.
Later rounds and finish
By Round 4, the pace had become brutal. Taira continued shooting and secured his eighth takedown of the fight. He briefly threatened with a triangle choke, but Van escaped and immediately returned to throwing heavy punches.
The fight was tied on two scorecards entering the fifth. Both men opened the final round trading shots in the center. Taira changed levels once again, but Van sprawled cleanly and started ripping punches to the body. He followed with a relentless barrage upstairs as Taira covered up against the cage.
The referee stepped in at 1:32 of the round. Taira immediately protested the stoppage, but most commentators thought it was justified.
Watch the interview here
During his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Van turned his attention toward Alexandre Pantoja.
“Pantoja, you better get your sh*t right,” Van said. “We can run it back if you want.”