Tatsuro Taira fills UFC 302 opening, fights Joshua Van

Two of the UFC flyweight division’s most promising rising fighters will collide this June.

With Su Mudaerji out of UFC 302, Tatsuro Taira has signed on to fight Joshua Van at the June 1 event at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

The matchup was announced Thursday by Iridium Sports Agency, which manages both fighters.

Taira (15-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) has passed each test he’s had in the promotion with flying colors. With three finishes in five promotional appearances, Japan’s Taira rides high off a TKO victory over Carlos Hernandez in December.

Van (10-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) went 3-0 in his first seven months with the UFC as he accumulated wins over Zhalgas Zhumagulov, Kevin Borjas, and Felipe Bunes. He was scheduled to fight Lucas Rocha in April, but was removed from the card when his opponent withdrew.

#TeamIridium News

Don't blink when two of the best flyweights in the @ufc, @tatsurotaira & @JoshuaVanBT, throw down at #UFC302 #TheDarkside pic.twitter.com/Du5Ex6rvR2

— IridiumSportsAgency (@TeamIridiumISA) April 25, 2024

With the addition, the UFC 302 lineup includes:

• Champion Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier – for lightweight title
• Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa – five-round co-main event
• Roman Dolidze vs. Anthony Hernandez
• Su Mudaerji vs. Tatsuro Taira
• Jailton Almeida vs. Alexandr Romanov
• Joselyne Edwards vs. Ailin Perez
• Mickey Gall vs. Bassil Hafez
• Grant Dawson vs. Joe Solecki
• Jake Matthews vs. Phil Rowe
• Andre Lima vs. Hyun Sung Park
• Niko Price vs. Jeremiah Wells
• Cesar Almeida vs. Roman Kopylov