'First in Japan' UFC title challenge → Brutally beaten and collapsed... 'Legendary match' Taira suffers TKO loss to Joshua Van

*This content was translated by AI.

Taira Tatsuro (26, Japan), who sought to write history in Japanese combat sports, saw his challenge crumble under a merciless barrage of punches from champion Joshua Van (24, USA).

On the 10th (Korea time), Taira lost via TKO to champion Joshua Van in the UFC 328 co-main event flyweight (56.7kg) title bout at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, USA, with 1 minute and 32 seconds remaining in the fifth round.

Taira, originally from Okinawa, and Van, born in Myanmar, made history as the first title fight between two male fighters of Asian descent in UFC history. Taira, who earned his title shot by defeating former champion Brandon Moreno, took early control by leveraging his signature grappling skills.

Immediately after the first round began, Taira threw a calf kick and quickly secured a takedown, dominating with full mount position and showcasing overwhelming grappling prowess. For much of the second round, it seemed Taira's grappling hell would continue. However, near the end of the round, Van's powerful right hook struck Taira's face, abruptly shifting the momentum. Taira managed to survive the crisis thanks to the round ending.

The tide of the match turned in the third round. Van unleashed his trademark striking. Taira repeatedly absorbed jabs and uppercuts, resulting in facial bleeding. Van drove Taira into a groggy state with knee kicks and uppercuts, even attempting a rear-naked choke. Though Taira endured with remarkable mental fortitude, the point differential had already widened significantly.

In the fourth round, Taira attempted grappling once again. He regained mount and tried a triangle choke to stage a comeback, but his movements were noticeably slowed after absorbing numerous strikes. Instead, Van's precise jabs and right straights in standing exchanges continued to land cleanly on Taira's face.

The fate of the match was decided in the fateful fifth round. Van repeatedly defended Taira's takedown attempts. He then disrupted Taira's balance with an uppercut combination, followed by a body kick and a series of left-right punches that delivered the decisive blows. At the moment the referee stopped the fight, Taira immediately protested, but the outcome had already been sealed.

With this victory, Van firmly proved why he is champion. He kept his pre-fight boast of "kill or be killed," vowing the fight would not go to a decision, by securing a perfect TKO win. Meanwhile, Taira, who had aimed to break the chain of no Japanese UFC champions, felt the wall of the champion and must now look forward to the next opportunity.

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*This content was translated by AI.