Van defends title with fifth-round knockout of Taira at UFC 328

Joshua Van knocked out Tatsuro Taira in the fifth round to defend his flyweight title at UFC 328, improving to 10-1 in the UFC at age 24 with two title defenses. Despite Taira securing eight successful takedowns, he was unable to take Van's back even once during 20 minutes of fighting. Van consistently escaped dangerous positions, either bridging out or using butterfly sweeps to avoid giving up his back. Taira had success passing to mount but could not hold dominant positions for long. Van's boxing skills and defensive grappling proved decisive in the championship rounds.