Undefeated flyweight Tatsuro Taira is set to face Joshua Van at UFC 302 on June 1 in Newark, N.J., after both fighters’ original opponents withdrew for undisclosed reasons.
Tatsuro Taira is staking his unbeaten record. He’s up against another promising flyweight.
Taira’s team dropped the news on Thursday. He’s set to square off with Joshua Van (10-1) at UFC 302. The event’s happening on June 1 in Newark, N.J. Fun fact: both fighters have the same management.
There’s been a switch-up for Van. He was supposed to fight Sumudaerji, but that’s off the table. The Chinese standout pulled out, and we’re not sure why.
Taira’s also dealing with a change. His original opponent, Tim Elliott, is out due to an injury. Taira was supposed to face Elliott at a UFC Fight Night event on May 18.
This new matchup is a clash of the titans in the 125-pound division. Taira’s record? Flawless. He’s undefeated in 15 pro bouts, including a perfect 5-0 in the UFC. His last fight saw him taking down Carlos Hernandez with a second-round TKO.
Van’s no slouch either. The 22-year-old is 3-0 in his UFC career. He took down Felipe Bunes with a second-round TKO this past January. That’s on top of decision wins over Kevin Borjas and Zhalgas Zhumagulov.
UFC 302’s main event? A title fight between lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier. And the co-main event? Middleweight contenders Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa going head-to-head.
Here’s the updated UFC 302 lineup (they’re still figuring out the bout order):
Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier
Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa
Jailton Almeida vs. Alexandr Romanov
Niko Price vs. Alex Morono
Anthony Hernandez vs. Roman Dolidze
Grant Dawson vs. Joe Solecki
Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski
Phil Rowe vs. Jake Matthews
Mickey Gall vs. Bassil Hafez
Cesar Almeida vs. Roman Kopylov
Hyun Sung Park vs. Andre Lima
Ailin Perez vs. Joselyne Edward
And there you have it. The stage is set for an epic showdown.