UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van is out of next week’s UFC 327 card in Miami due to undisclosed reasons, multiple people with knowledge of the situation confirmed to MMA Fighting.
The flyweight title bout is now the UFC 328 co-main event on May 9 in Newark, N.J., the UFC announced during the UFC Vegas 115 telecast Saturday night.
UFC 327 takes place at the Kaseya Center on April 11 and features Jiri Prochazka vs. Carlos Ulberg for the vacant light heavyweight championship in the main event. The light heavyweight fight between Azamat Murzakanov and Paulo Costa is the new co-main event.
Van (16-2) won the 125-pound title in December when Alexandre Pantoja suffered an arm injury seconds into their UFC 323 bout. With Pantoja sidelined, the UFC opted to book Van against rising contender Taira instead for April 11.
Taira (18-1) inserted himself in the title picture with a second-round knockout victory over ex-champion Brandon Moreno on the same night Van claimed the belt. That was his eighth victory in nine octagon appearances, six of those by stoppage.
