Tatsuro Taira Steps In to Face Joshua Van at UFC 302 in June

The Ultimate Fighting Championship took the pieces of two scuttled fights and made something exceptional.

On Monday, UFC flyweight Joshua Van (10-1) posted on social media that his pairing with Su Mudaerji on UFC 302 was off. The Myanmar-born fighter hoped to stay on June 1 event in Newark, New Jersey, and he has gotten his wish. In on short notice will be ranked contender Tatsuro Taira (15-0). Taira was initially slated to battle Tim Elliott at UFC Fight Night 241 on May 18, but Elliott sustained an injury in training to knock him out of that fight. Van’s management team, Iridium Sports Agency, broke this news on Thursday.

Fury Fighting Championship mainstay Van surged into the UFC with a litany of stoppages on his ledger. While he ultimately went to the scorecards in two of his last three, Van has won eight straight bouts dating back to 2021. In the Octagon, Van introduced himself to the top brass by picking up a split decision over Zhalgas Zhumagulov. A few months later, Van returned to beat Kevin Borjas at the hands of the judges, and in January, Van earned his first UFC stoppage win by putting Felipe Bunes away with punches at the end of Round 2.

While Van has prevailed in eight straight, top Japanese prospect Taira has almost doubled that. Unbeaten as a pro across 15 appearances, the Shooto product has claimed the majority of his victories inside the distance. Taira burst onto the scene when he won a decision over Carlos Candelario in 2022. Two submissions over C.J. Vergara and Jesus Santos Aguilar put him as one to watch, while subsequent wins over Edgar Chairez and a recent drubbing of Carlos Hernandez made Taira a contender at the talent-stacked flyweight division.

UFC 302 will be headlined on June 1 by Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier for the lightweight throne. Additional bouts on the card in the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, include a middleweight scrap pitting Sean Strickland against Paulo Costa, a heavyweight contest of Jailton Almeida vs. Alexander Romanov and a sure-fire welterweight thriller between Randy Brown and Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos.