UFC 302: Makhachev vs. Poirier adds key prospect bout
Tatsuro Taira puts his unbeaten record on the line against a fellow flyweight prospect.
Taira’s management announced Thursday that he is set to face Joshua Van (10-1) at UFC 302 on June 1 in Newark, N.J. The two fighters share the same representation.
This marks an opponent change for Van, who was originally scheduled to fight Sumudaerji. The Chinese standout withdrew from the contest for undisclosed reasons.
Taira also sees a change in his schedule after losing opponent Tim Elliott to an undisclosed injury. He was expected to fight Elliott at a UFC Fight Night event on May 18.
The new matchup pits two of the 125-pound division’s brightest prospects against one another. Taira is yet to lose in 15 pro bouts, including a perfect 5-0 mark in the UFC. In his most recent outing, the 24-year-old scored a second-round TKO victory over Carlos Hernandez.
Van, 22, is 3-0 to start his UFC career. He defeated Felipe Bunes by second-round TKO this past January to follow up on decision wins over Kevin Borjas and Zhalgas Zhumagulov.
UFC 302 is headlined by a title fight between lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier. Middleweight contenders Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa square off in the co-main event.
See the updated UFC 302 lineup below (bout order still to be finalized):
Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier
Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa
Jailton Almeida vs. Alexandr Romanov
Anthony Hernandez vs. Roman Dolidze
Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski