UFC flyweight champ Joshua Van says he'll make his first title defense against Tatsuro Taira

Story byUFC flyweight champ Joshua Van says he'll make his first title defense against Tatsuro TairaJoshua Van got his UFC flyweight belt by freak accident. Now he'll be defending it against Tatsuro Taira.. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) (Chris Unger via Getty Images)Jack BaerStaff writerSat, February 21, 2026 at 4:18 AM UTC·1 min read

UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van reportedly has his first title defense.

The promotion's youngest belt-holder told fans at a UFC Houston Q&A session that he will face Tatsuro Taira next. He did not specify when or where the fight would take place.

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"I'm fighting Tatsuro next, bro," Van said when asked to evaluate his potential challengers.

Van won the flyweight title at UFC 323 on Dec. 6, unseating Alexandre Pantoja via a freak accident. Van entered the bout as a significant underdog, but an awkward fall in the first minute caused Pantoja to gruesomely dislocate his shoulder and left Van as the new champion despite landing only two significant strikes.

A rematch with Pantoja, who was on one of the best runs in flyweight history, looms, but it's unclear when the Brazilian will be in fighting shape again. That left two possibilities for Van's first defense: Taira and Manel Kape.

Taira was the more telegraphed option, as he was conspicuously sitting next to Dana White at UFC 323 during Van's fight after defeating former champion Brandon Moreno. Taira holds an 18-1 record and would be the first Japanese champion in UFC history.

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Van, the first Asian-born champion, could have also faced Kape, who has won seven of his last eight fights and last beat Brandon Royval in December. Kape shot down a false report that a title shot was in the works for him last weekend, claiming the UFC promised the spot to Taira.

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