UFC 327 has a date and a headliner.
Joshua Van will defend his flyweight championship against Tatsuro Taira on April 11 in Miami, the promotion announced on Saturday.
The bout marks Van’s first title defence after he defeated Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 323 in December. The 24-year-old (16-2) fast-tracked his way up the UFC rankings after winning five straight before taking the belt.
In addition to Pantoja, Van has defeated some of the division’s best, including current No.4-ranked Brandon Royval and No. 14-ranked Bruno Silva.
Taira, the third-ranked contender in the division, is coming off an impressive victory over former champion Brandon Moreno in early December.
The 26-year-old (18-1) has eight wins in the UFC after making his debut in 2022. His lone loss came at the hands of Royval by split decision.
Of his 18 wins, 14 have come by finish with eight TKOs/KOs and six submissions.
The UFC also announced a pair of main event bouts for upcoming Fight Night cards set to take place at the promotion’s Meta APEX facility in Las Vegas. Former title-challenger and No. 10-ranked lightweight Renato Moicano will matchup against Chris Duncan on April 4, while welterweight contenders Sean Brady (No. 6) and Joaquin Buckley (No. 9) face off on April 25.
