History is made this Saturday at UFC 328, and it all starts with a 24-year-old champion who has a chip on his shoulder and a point to prove. Joshua Van, the first Myanmar-born champion in UFC history, steps into the Octagon to defend his flyweight title against Japan's Tatsuro Taira in what will be the youngest title fight the organization has ever seen.

Van captured the flyweight crown at just 24 years and 57 days old when he defeated Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 323. That remarkable feat puts him just 180 days shy of Jon Jones' all-time record as the youngest champion in UFC history—a record Jones set at 23 years, 242 days old back in 2011. But while Jones celebrated his victory by appearing on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno, Van took a different path. He disappeared into his Houston gym, quietly preparing for what comes next.

And what comes next is a chance to cement his legacy. Saturday's bout in Newark brings Van back to the same city where Jones made history, and that fact isn't lost on the young champion. "It kind of bothers me," Van admits, "but I took that loss." He's referring to his 2024 defeat in Denver against Charles Johnson, when he was just 22 years old and on track to break Jones' record. That knockout loss was his first in the UFC, and it changed everything.

"I needed that loss," Van says with the wisdom of a fighter far beyond his years. "Everything happened for a reason. I don't mind being the second-youngest champion right behind Jon Jones. He's the greatest of all time. That's pretty good company." The loss taught him something more valuable than any win could have: discipline. "At a young age, I got to the UFC when I was 21, I kept winning and winning. Then it got in my head where I don't want to train sometimes. After that loss, it opened my eyes where discipline beat talent."

Now, at 24, Van faces his toughest test yet in 26-year-old Tatsuro Taira. The Japanese contender brings a well-rounded skill set and a hunger of his own. But for Van, this fight is about more than just a title defense. It's about proving that he belongs in the conversation with the all-time greats—and that the lord of the flies has no plans to give up his throne.