"“I feel great. I think I have proof that I am a world champion, you know,” Van said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “Shout out to [Taira], nothing but respect to him. He's a tough motherf-er."
"While Taira was able to impose his will on the ground in the early going, Van kept his composure and gradually took control through his superior striking. That culminated in one final barrage to put his Japanese adversary away at the 1:32 mark of Round 5."
"“I know that he's a good grappler,” Van said. “But this is an MMA fight, this is not a jiu-jitsu match. I know my my striking would stand out, and that's what you [saw] tonight.”"
"“I thought it was gonna be Pantoja,” Van said. “But like I said, I wasn't gonna wait for him, for forever, so now they gave me Tatsuro and we got it done. So now - Pantoja time.”"
Joshua Van won his first flyweight title defense at UFC 328 by defeating Tatsuro Taira via fifth-round technical knockout at 1:32. Early in the fight, Taira controlled positions on the ground, but Van maintained composure and gradually took control with superior striking. Van’s performance answered doubts created by an earlier injury-shortened title win. Van stated he had proof of being a world champion and expressed respect for Taira. Van also said the fight was MMA rather than jiu-jitsu, emphasizing that his striking would stand out. Pantoja attended the event, and Van indicated he expects a rematch while choosing to stay active instead of waiting for Pantoja’s return.
Read at Sherdog
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