MORRISTOWN, N.J. – Joshua Van might only be five years into his professional MMA career, yet the 24-year-old is already making history in the UFC.
Van (16-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC), a Burmese fighter, is days away from making his first UFC flyweight title defense against Japan’s Tatsuro Taira (18-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in the co-main event of UFC 328 (Paramount+) – which takes place Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. This bout with Taira is the first time two fighters born in the 2000s and two male Asian fighters fight for a UFC title. It’s a significant moment for both the general sport and Asian MMA, which makes Van proud.
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“It feels familiar. This is not the first time I’ve fought a guy who was born in the 2000’s,” Van told reporters at the UFC 328 media day on Wednesday. “This is the second time, it just happens that we’re fighting for a title. Two Asian guys as well, so it’s going to be great for the Asian community.”
When asked if this is the biggest fight in Asian MMA history, Van replied with a quick yes.
“Yeah, for sure,” Van said. “This is the first time two Asian males fight for a title. Yeah, for sure.”
In terms of the fight itself, Van is confident he’ll retain his belt on Saturday despite being the underdog. He knows his strengths, and he plans to lean on them as he faces the standout grappler.
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“I think he’s a well-rounded guy. Everybody knows him for his ground, but he do have striking, too,” Van explained. “Most of his fights, I don’t know why, but they try to take him down. Like, I think that’s the mistake they make. If he’s better than you on the ground, then why are you trying to go to his game. Come Saturday night, I’m going to make him play my game, and if we go to the ground, we’ll beat him there too.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 328: Joshua Van proud of historic Asian male title fight
