Two of the most promising rising fighters in the UFC flyweight division will collide this June.
With Su Mudaerji outside of UFC 302, Tatsuro Taira signed up to fight Joshua Van at the June 1 event at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ
The matchup was announced Thursday by Iridium Sports Agency, which manages both fighters.
Taira (15-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) passed every test he underwent in the promotion with flying colors. With three finishes in five promotional appearances, Japanese Taira is on a roll following a technical knockout victory over Carlos Hernandez in December.
Van (10-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) went 3-0 in his first seven months in the UFC by racking up wins over Zhalgas Zhumagulov, Kevin Borjas and Felipe Bunes. He was scheduled to face Lucas Rocha in April, but was removed from the card when his opponent withdrew.
With the addition, the UFC 302 lineup includes:
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Champion Islam Makhachev x Dustin Poirier – for the lightweight title
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Sean Strickland x Paulo Costa – five-round co-main event
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Roman Dolidze vs Anthony Hernandez
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Su Mudaerji x Tatsuro Taira
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Jailton Almeida x Alexandr Romanov
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Joselyne Edwards x Ailin Perez
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Mickey Gall x Bassil Hafez
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Grant Dawson x Joe Solecki
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Jake Matthews x Phil Rowe
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André Lima x Hyun Sung Park
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Niko Price x Jeremiah Wells
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César Almeida x Roman Kopylov
