UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van will have to wait longer to defend his newly minted title for the first time. Since Van got his hands on the title by beating Alexandr Pantoja, the UFC announced in February that he would make his first title defense against Tatsuro Taira at the co-main event of UFC 327 on April 11, 2026, in Miami. But there’s a change in that plan.
Van was at Meta Apex on Saturday night, helping teammate Dakota Hope warm up for his fight against Kai Kamaka in the prelims. While Hope lost the fight via split decision, Van appears to have lost his spot on the UFC 327 card. Now, Van has been moved to a different card, and Paulo Costa appears to have benefited from it immensely.
“Flyweight title fight between Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira moves to May 9th in Newark at #UFC328,” journalist Marcel Dorff wrote on X. “Azamat Murzakanov vs. Paulo Costa will now be the co-headliner next week at #UFC327.”
Flyweight titlefight between Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira moves to May 9th in Newark at #UFC328. Azamat Murzakanov vs. Paulo Costa will now be the co-headliner next week at #UFC327. (per broadcast)
— Marcel Dorff
(@BigMarcel24) April 5, 2026
“Damn, sucks Van vs. Taira is off #UFC327, especially since I will be there,” Adam Martin added. “But the card is still great. One of the best cards of the year.”
Tatsuro Taira is coming off two back-to-back wins since dropping a split decision loss to Brandon Royval in October 2024. It will be his first title shot in the UFC, having dominated former champion Brandon Moreno in his last outing at UFC 323.
