UFC 328 Odds, Prediction: Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira

Joshua Van will be looking to extend his current win streak to seven fights when he defends his UFC flyweight title for the first time on Saturday, when he battle No. 3 contender Tatsuro Taira in the UFC 328 co-main event at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Van claimed the UFC featherweight crown with a stunning TKO victory just 26 seconds into his clash with Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 323 to improve to 9-1 in 10 fights since joining the UFC less than two years ago.

Yaira earned his title shot with a second-round TKO win over Brandon Moreno at UFC 323, and has now finished opponents 14 times while compiling an 18-1 pro MMA record including an 8-1 mark in nine octagon appearances.

Despite enjoying a meteoric rise to the top of the UFC flyweight division, Van lags as a +135 underdog on the UFC 328 odds. Taira leads the way as a -160 favourite to claim the crown, while the odds of this clash going a full five rounds are pegged at +140.

Joshua Van

Van earned a reputation as a finisher early in his career, earning knockout or submission wins in each of his first eight fights, all inside 10 minutes, including a second-round tap-out win over Cleveland McLean in December 2022 that earned him the Fury FC flyweight strap.

However, the 24-year-old Myanmar native has regularly gone the distance since joining the UFC, with six of his 10 matchups getting settled by the judges including an epic three-round win over Brandon Royval at UFC 317 that earned him his first Fight of the Night bonus.

That recent tendency towards marathon battles has not lessened Van’s threat as a dangerous striker, who likes to throw punches in volume that soften up opponents for a takedown.

Indeed, Van has increasingly proven his durability in recent fights that have gone the distance, but that might not happen against Taira if he can’t stay on his feet.

Tatsuro Taira

One of the best young grapplers in the UFC flyweight division, Taira’s game plan is all about control. The 26-year-old out of Okinawa, Japan has claimed eight of his 18 career wins by submission, but as Brandon Moreno found out at UFC 323, Taira is also an adept striker, and the only one of these two fighters to have ever seen action in championship rounds.

With a reputation as a calm and cool fighter in the cage, Taira demonstrates plenty of patience while awaiting his chance to execute the takedown, and is happy to use his underrated defensive skills to stay out of reach of superior strikers until opportunity knocks. But the sooner he can change levels, the sooner he can establish positional dominance and steadily wear down his opponent.

UFC 328 Prediction: Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira

The key to success for Van will be twofold, get to Taira early with his superior punching power while making sure he makes sufficient contact to run up the points. But that will be easier said than down against the Japanese star, who has suffered just one knockdown in nine octagon appearances. Look for this championship matchup to be a, long bloody battle.

Prediction: Van by decision/technical decision (+450).