The
Ultimate Fighting Championship took the pieces of two scuttled
fights and made something exceptional.
On Monday, UFC flyweight Joshua Van
(10-1)
posted on social media that his pairing with Su Mudaerji
on
UFC 302 was off. The Myanmar-born fighter hoped to stay on June
1 event in Newark, New Jersey, and he has gotten his wish. In on
short notice will be ranked contender Tatsuro
Taira (15-0). Taira was initially slated to battle Tim Elliott
at UFC Fight Night 241 on May 18, but Elliott sustained an injury
in training to knock him out of that fight. Van’s management team,
Iridium
Sports Agency, broke this news on Thursday.
Fury Fighting Championship mainstay Van surged
into the UFC with a litany of stoppages on his ledger. While he
ultimately went to the scorecards in two of his last three, Van has
won eight straight bouts dating back to 2021. In the Octagon, Van
introduced himself to the top brass by picking up a split decision
over Zhalgas
Zhumagulov. A few months later, Van returned to beat Kevin
Borjas at the hands of the judges, and in January, Van earned
his first UFC stoppage win by putting Felipe
Bunes away with punches at the end of Round 2.
While Van has prevailed in eight straight, top Japanese prospect
Taira has almost doubled that. Unbeaten as a pro across 15
appearances, the Shooto product has claimed the majority of his
victories inside the distance. Taira burst onto the scene when he
won a decision over Carlos
Candelario in 2022. Two submissions over C.J. Vergara
and Jesus
Santos Aguilar put him as one to watch, while subsequent wins
over Edgar
Chairez and a recent drubbing of Carlos
Hernandez made Taira a contender at the talent-stacked
flyweight division.
UFC 302 will be headlined on June 1 by Islam
Makhachev vs. Dustin
Poirier for the lightweight throne. Additional bouts on the
card in the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, include a
middleweight scrap pitting Sean
Strickland against Paulo
Costa, a heavyweight contest of Jailton
Almeida vs. Alexander
Romanov and a sure-fire welterweight thriller between Randy Brown
and Elizeu
Zaleski dos Santos.