Joshua Van put on a performance worthy of Fight of the Year, successfully retaining his flyweight championship against Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328 on Saturday night.
The initial round saw Tatsuro Taira establish control with three takedowns, one occurring within the first minute. While Van managed to return to his feet each time and land effective strikes, Taira’s ground control appeared to give him an early advantage on the scorecards.
Taira scored another takedown in the second round. However, the tide turned in the final minute when Van reversed position, unleashing a powerful right hand that sent Taira to the canvas. Van pressed for a finish, but Taira endured the onslaught, making it to the third round.
Van continued to assert dominance in the third round, scoring another knockdown and nearly securing a rear-naked choke. Despite Van’s best efforts, Taira once again survived the round, ending it in an advantageous top position.
After a late takedown by Taira in the third, he regained momentum in the fourth, keeping Van on his back for the majority of the round. Unfortunately for Taira, this would be the final round he would see to completion.
In the decisive fifth round, Van delivered multiple effective body shots before landing a clean right hand that staggered Taira, who appeared to turn away. Referee Jason Herzog saw enough and stepped in to halt the fight.
Taira immediately protested the stoppage, but his body language indicated he was unable to intelligently defend himself, leading to the referee’s decision.
Official Result: Joshua Van defeated Tatsuro Taira by TKO (strikes) at 1:32 of Round 5, retaining the UFC flyweight world championship.
Joshua Van Knocks Out Tatsuro Taira to Keep Flyweight Crown at UFC 328
Joshua Van delivered a spectacular performance, defending his flyweight title against Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328 with a decisive knockout in the fifth round.
The fight began with Taira dictating the pace, securing multiple takedowns in the first round. Van, however, showed resilience by consistently getting back to his feet and landing strikes, though Taira’s control time seemed to favor him early on.
The second round saw Taira again initiate a takedown. In the closing minute, Van turned the tables with a devastating right hand, dropping Taira. Though Van pursued a finish, Taira managed to survive the round.
Van continued his offensive pressure in the third, scoring another knockdown and attempting a submission. Taira, however, showcased his toughness by escaping both threats and finishing the round on top.
The fourth round featured Taira successfully executing takedowns and maintaining control for significant portions of the round. This proved to be Taira’s last successful period of dominance.
In the final round, Van’s offense proved too much. After a series of hard body shots, he landed a clean right hand that put Taira in a precarious position, prompting the referee to stop the fight.
Despite Taira’s protests, the referee’s decision was based on Taira’s inability to defend himself effectively.
Final Outcome: Joshua Van won against Tatsuro Taira via TKO (strikes) at 1:32 of Round 5, successfully defending his UFC flyweight world championship.
English Translation:
Joshua Van Stops Tatsuro Taira with Vicious KO to Retain Flyweight Title – UFC 328 Highlights
Joshua Van delivered another Fight of the Year contender and successfully defended his flyweight crown against Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328 on Saturday night.
The story of the opening round was a trio of takedowns from Taira, one of them coming less than a minute into the clash. Van managed to get back to his feet in all three instances and land some solid strikes, but the control time of Taira appeared to put the scorecards in his favor early on.
Taira secured another takedown in the second, but the story of the round came in the final minute when Van worked his way up and unleashed a hellacious right hand that put Taira on the mat. Van swarmed in looking for a finish, but Taira weathered the storm and made it to the third.
Van continued to dominate in the third, knocking down Taira once again and nearly cinching in a rear-naked choke. But despite his best effort, Taira weathered the storm and ended the round on top.
After a late takedown in the third, Taira recovered in the fourth and managed to put Van’s back on the mat for much of the five minutes. Unfortunately for Taira, that would be the last round he would see the end of.
In the fifth and final round, Van ripped to the body multiple times before landing a clean right hand that had Taira on the ropes and appearing to turn his back. For referee Jason Herzog, that was justification to step in and call for the stoppage.
Taira immediately protested, but his body language was that of a fighter unable to intelligently defend himself, thus the stoppage.
Official Result: Joshua Van def. Tatsuro Taira via TKO (strikes) at 1:32 of Round 5 to retain the UFC flyweight world championship.