Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira pick, odds, time: UFC 328

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom goes in-depth to break down the biggest fights in the UFC. Today, he takes a closer look at the UFC 328 co-main event between Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira.

Joshua Van UFC 328 preview

Staple info:

• Record: 16-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC
• Height: 5'5" Age: 24 Weight: 125 lbs. Reach: 65"
• Last fight:*TKO-injury win over Alexandre Pantoja (Dec. 6, 2025)
• Camp: 4 oz. Fight Club (Houston)
• Stance/striking style: Orthodox/kickboxing
• Risk management: Fair

Supplemental info:

• + UFC flyweight champion
• + Regional MMA tile
• + Amateur MMA accolades
• + Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt
• + 8 KO victories
• + 2 submission wins
• + 3 first-round finishes
• + Building pace and pressure
• + Good boxing technique
• ^ Variates well to the body
• + Excellent instincts off the counter
• + Strong inside of the clinch
• ^ Works well off of overhooks and frames
• + Serviceable wrestling ability
• ^ Solid first-layer defense and offense
• + Steadily improving transitional grappling

Tatsuro Taira UFC 328 preview

Staple info:

• Record: 18-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC
• Height: 5'7" Age: 26 Weight: 125 lbs. Reach: 70"
• Last fight:TKO win over Brandon Moreno (Dec. 6, 2025)
• Camp: Tiger Beetle Martial Arts (Denver)
• Stance/striking style: Orthodox/kickboxing
• Risk management: Good

Supplemental info:

• + Shooto flyweight title
• + Amateur MMA accolades
• + 6 knockout victories
• + 8 submission wins
• + 8 first-round finishes
• + Good sense of range
• ^ Plays well with distances
• + Steadily improving striking
• ^ Straight punches and left-sided kicks
• + Strong inside the clinch
• ^ Crafty strikes off collar ties
• + Solid takedown ability
• ^ Chains well against the fence
• + Excellent transitional grappler
• ^ Superb back-taker

Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira breakdown: Flyweight fisticuffs

The co-main event in New Jersey features a flyweight title fight between Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira.

Taira, who will be looking to become Japan’s first UFC champion this Saturday, has steadily been improving his striking game.

Fighting to his frame and stylistic sensibilities, Taira will typically look to play all the way in or all the way out when it comes to his operating range. At distance, Taira looks to set up long straight shots off his in-and-out movement.

When feeling in stride, Taira will attach solid kicks to his combinations (particularly off of his lead side).

Taira has also demonstrated a solid ability to strike into collar ties, which provides him opportunities to land knees and elbows in close. That said, the Japanese fighter will need to respect the power of Van.

Despite only fighting professionally for a little over four years, Van demonstrates a natural aptitude for striking that is undeniable.

More of a boxing-centric striker who likes to counter in combination, Van does well at varying both his looks and levels when mixing up his shot selection. And once Van is feeling in stride, the native of Myanmar is not shy when it comes to ripping hooks to the body.

In the clinch, Van shows a good feel for striking off frames in the form of knees and punches. Van is also an underrated kicker who can get creative with his attacks, but I’m not sure how much of his kicking offense will get shelved given the looming takedown threats coming his way.

Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira point of interest: Protect your neck

Given the biggest on-paper disparity between these two, protecting the neck will be paramount for the current champion this weekend.

Thankfully for Van, his natural aptitude for fighting extends to his ground game as well – at least as far as his wrestling goes.

An athlete with excellent instincts, Van looks to have some solid first-layer offense and defense in the wrestling department. “The Fearless” displays hips that are hardwired to sprawl in the open, and he can also wrestle fairly well off a whizzer – which will probably be his best friend opposite a back-taker.

Although Van is not beyond getting bested against the cage, said over and underhook awareness, in conjunction with his athleticism, has made it hard for most fighters to control him thus far. In recent fights, Van has shown some solid glimpses of technical improvement (hitting solid butterfly get-ups that will likely serve him well in this fight).

However, more times than not, Van will usually scramble back to his feet in a way that allows for some daylight as far as back exposure goes – something that he’ll need to be extra careful of opposite someone like Taira.

A talented back-taker who is steadily rounding out his surrounding skill set, Taira appears to have no illusions as to where his bread is buttered. Not only is Taira patient when it comes to setting up his shots, but the Japanese fighter does not seem easily discouraged when failing on his first attempt.

Akin to great MMA grapplers like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Taira looks to be perfectly content with using his first shot to drive his opposition toward the octagon walls. From there, Taira will chain to and from single-leg takedowns to trip takedowns that allow him to drag the fight into his brand of grappling.

Taira may still be developing parts of his game, but the 26-year-old’s back-taking abilities are potent beyond his years. Whether Taira is looking for rear-naked chokes or baiting escapes that lead to armlocks, the native of Japan will be extremely dangerous anytime he attaches himself to Van.

Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira odds

The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the challenger, listing Taira -180 and Van +140 via FanDuel.

Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira prediction, pick

Although it can feel weird to see a sitting champion set as the betting underdog, I can’t help but wonder how many people are fading Van due to the ignominious nature of his injury-win over the criminally underrated flyweight great Alexandre Pantoja.

However, as a believer that styles make fights, I suspect that these odds are more a fair representation of that.

Both fighters may be too talented for your stereotypical striker versus grappler labels, but I think that general dynamic holds true here. Van has solid first-layer takedown defense, but his propensity to allow back exposure in scrambles could cost him crucial rounds or the fight itself.

Whereas Taira, though at a striking disadvantage on paper, has some solid striking tools and has proven to have some serious durability and staying power as far as his fighting spirit goes. In fact, I could see Taira tax Van’s wrestle-boxing sensibilities with his counter crosses and switch-kicks off the lead side – not to mention Taira’s newfound knack for playing off of level changes.

Tatsuro Taira's Wrestling: Fake It Til You Make It pic.twitter.com/TflOAXopC4— RJ Clifford (@RJcliffordMMA) May 6, 2026

I know both fighters are young, but it’s still worth mentioning that Van has only been fighting professionally for less than five years (as this division has a history of rushing products to title markets before they’re fully ready). Even though Taira has only been fighting for three more years as a pro, that extra time in the game could be another difference-maker if forced to split hairs.

Despite being a big fan of Van’s style, my prediction for this fight will be similar to the one I had for his last one: Unless Van can shut down takedowns early and often, then I suspect that Taira will be able to dictate the wheres and when’s while establishing his win conditions.

The official pick is for Taira to find a submission by Round 2.

Prediction: Taira inside the distance

Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira start time, how to watch

As the co-main event title fight, Van and Taira are expected to make their walks to the cage at approximately 10:45 p.m. ET. The fight streams on Paramount+.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira pick, odds, time: UFC 328 flyweight title