UFC Passes Over Injured Ex-Champion For Massive UFC 327 Title Fight in Miami

UFC Flyweight Champion Joshua Van officially has his first title defense booked, and it isn’t an immediate rematch with Alexandre Pantoja.

Still just 24 years old, Van took the momentum of five-straight wins into a title shot against longtime flyweight king Pantoja at UFC 323 and won the 125 lbs. title in shocking fashion when “The Cannibal” suffered a nasty arm injury just 26 seconds into the highly-anticipated matchup.

Fans were waiting to see if the UFC might give Pantoja some time to recover and book an immediate rematch after the anticlimactic way that the Brazilian lost his title, but during the broadcast for UFC Houston the promotion revealed that Van will defend his belt against Tatsuro Taira at UFC 327.

The 305 is heating up 🌴@JoshuaVanBT seeks his first title defense against @TatsuroTaira on April 11th!

[ #UFC327 on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/2eruizfcXz
— UFC (@ufc) February 22, 2026

Tatsuro Taira Gets Title Shot After Finishing UFC Champion

Currently sitting at #3 in the UFC flyweight rankings, Taira joined the UFC as an unbeaten talent in 2022 and extended his professional record to 16-0 when he won six-straight fights to kick off his time with the promotion.

A UFC Fight Night main event against Brandon Royval in 2024 saw Taira suffer his first loss via split decision, although he did take home a post-fight bonus for putting on a “Fight of the Night” showing against Royval. The 26-year-old rebounded from that setback last August when he submitted the formerly-undefeated Hyun Sung Park, who was stepping in to replace top-ranked flyweight contender Amir Albazi.

Tatsuro Taira (blue gloves) reacts after the fight against Brandon Moreno (red gloves) during UFC 323 at T-Mobile Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

A UFC 323 matchup with Brandon Moreno saw Taira scored a controversial second-round finish against the two-time flyweight titleholder, but that win was enough for the UFC to give the Japanese star his first UFC title shot at UFC 327.

Joshua Van Returns To Defend Belt After Incredible 2025

All signs seemed to be pointing towards #2-ranked Manel Kape as Van’s first title challenger with Pantoja sidelined, as the two men have been engaging in an online war of words that began last year.

With Kape now stuck waiting for his shot at UFC gold, Van will try to extend his winning run to seven fights when he enters the cage to defend his flyweight belt against Taira. “The Fearless” began his UFC career with three-straight wins before being knocked out by Charles Johnson, but upon his return the 24-year-old went on an absolute tear that included two wins in less than a month before he challenged Pantoja at UFC 323.

Joshua Van (blue gloves) reacts after the fight against Alexandre Pantoja (red gloves) during UFC 323 at T-Mobile Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Fans have been waiting to find out what title fight (or fights) would be on offer for the promotion's return to Miami on April 11, and Van vs. Taira now tops a UFC 327 card that has added a number of intriguing bouts over the last month.

UFC 327 Fight Card

• Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira

• Dominick Reyes vs. Johnny Walker

• Tatiana Suarez vs. Lupita Godinez

• Azamat Murzakanov vs. Paulo Costa

• Cub Swanson vs. Nate Landwehr

• Kyle Daukaus vs. Vicente Luque

• Kevin Holland vs. Randy Brown