Fresh off capturing the UFC flyweight title under unusual circumstances, Joshua Van revealed that he had hoped to face Alexandre Pantoja in his first title defense before ultimately being matched up with Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328 this Saturday night.
Van (16-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) will meet Taira (18-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in the co-main event at Newark’s Prudential Center in his first appearance since winning the 125-pound championship at UFC 322 in December. The title changed hands in dramatic fashion when Pantoja (30-6 MMA, 14-4 UFC) suffered a dislocated elbow after landing awkwardly during the opening round of their fight, forcing the bout to end prematurely and crowning Van the new champion.
Although Pantoja was initially expected to face a lengthy recovery period following the injury, the former champion returned to training sooner than anticipated. Even so, Van said a rematch with “The Cannibal” was always the matchup he preferred for his first defense.
Speaking to Full Mount MMA during Wednesday’s media day ahead of UFC 328, Van explained that he expected either Pantoja or Manel Kape to be next in line before the promotion settled on Taira.
“I always wanted Pantoja, and then Pantoja…I know that he has to recover and all that stuff,” Van said. “I thought it was going to be Manel (Kape), to be honest. And then, you know, I don't know what happened with him and his team, you know? And so now they gave me Tatsuro and I'm very, very excited about this.”
When asked whether he believed Kape had been offered the fight before Taira, Van left little doubt about his opinion on the situation.
“Yeah, for sure,” he said.
Despite not getting the matchup he initially wanted, Van appeared enthusiastic about facing Taira in what could become one of the most significant fights in the flyweight division this year. The bout marks Taira’s first opportunity to challenge for UFC gold, while Van looks to secure the first successful defense of his championship reign.
