Joshua Van’s first official UFC flyweight title defense will come against No. 3-ranked contender, Tatsuro Taira, in the coming months.
This is according to Van himself, who spilled the beans during a recent fan Q&A for UFC Houston in Texas.
Van, who is riding a six-fight win streak in the UFC’s flyweight division, just captured the title from long-time champion Alexandre Pantoja back at UFC 323 last December. Pantoja badly injured his arm early in the fight which allowed Van the chance to win the title in just 26 seconds, but some look at the victory as an easy path to UFC gold. Van has been left to prove himself as champion and will have his chance to do so against Taira later this year.
On Friday, Van joined Jon Anik on stage for a fun Q&A and was eventually asked if he’d like to defend his title first against Taira or fellow flyweight contender Manel Kape. Van looked off stage for a sign of approval and then proceeded to confirm that Taira will be his next opponent. Check it out below:
‘”I’m fighting Tatsuro next, bro,” revealed Van to the crowd’s approval.
Van, 24, is the second youngest champion in UFC history right behind the legendary Jon Jones. If he can start racking off title defenses then Van could push himself into UFC stardom. Taira, on the other end, is only 26 years old in his own right and can become the first Japanese champion in UFC history with a win over Van his next time out.
We’ll have to wait to see when and where these two flyweights will do battle.
