Joshua Van vs Tatsuro Taira Pick, 05/09/2026 Predictions UFC Vegas 117 Odds

by Tony Sink - 5/8/2026

Joshua Van vs Tatsuro Taira

UFC Vegas 117

Meta APEX in Las Vegas

Saturday, May 9, 2026

Joshua Van will take on Tatsuro Taira at UFC Vegas 117 on Saturday, May 9, 2026. The opening moneyline has Van at +140 while Taira is priced at -160.

Joshua "The Fearless" Van steps into the Octagon with a record of 16-2-0. The 24-year-old records a weight of 125 lbs and stands 5'5". The orthodox fighter stretches 65". Tatsuro "The Best" Taira measures in at 5'7" and is weighing in at 125 lbs. The orthodox fighter will be looking to add a win to his career record of 18-1-0. The 26-year-old reaches 70". With respect to significant strikes, Joshua Van lands 8.84 per minute while Tatsuro Taira connects on 2.94 significant strikes per minute. Van is connecting on 56% of the significant strikes he attempts while Taira is connecting on 60%. When it comes to the fighter's defense, "The Fearless" allows 6.39 significant strikes per min and "The Best" takes 2.44. Van also stops 57% of the significant strikes his opponents throw his way while Taira defends against 47% of the shots thrown in his direction.

ufc picks Joshua Van ufc predictions best bet odds

UFC Vegas 117	Joshua Van	Tatsuro Taira
Opening Odds	+140	-160
Record	16-2-0	18-1-0
Average Fight Time	12:26	10:40
Height	5'5"	5'7"
Weight	125 lbs	125 lbs
Reach	65"	70"
Strikes Landed Per Minute	8.84	2.94
Striking Accuracy	56%	60%

In terms of takedowns, Joshua Van is the not as competent as a grappler as he is averaging a takedown 0.84 times per 3 rounds. Van is taking his opponents to the canvas on 63% of his tries and defending 81% of the takedowns his opponents try. Taira is finishing his takedowns on 46% of his takedown attempts and thwarting 45% of takedowns his opponents have attempted. Regarding going for the sub, Van is the lesser skilled of the two fighters by going for 0.6 submissions per 15 min while Taira looks to get 1.6 submissions per 15 minutes.

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In his last bout, Joshua Van went up against Alexandre Pantoja and wound up taking home the victory via an arm injury to Pantoja in round 1. Pantoja ended up landing 6 of 11 of the strikes he threw in total in this fight. Van walked away from this fight having landed 2 of 4 total strikes. In regard to significant strikes, Pantoja ended up landing 6 of 11, which means his percentage was 54%. He finished the fight landing 4 of 8 significant strikes aimed at the head. On the other side, Van ended up landing 50% of his significant strikes by connecting on 2 of 4. Out of those significant strikes, he was 2 of 4 to the head. 83% of the significant strikes connected on by Pantoja and 100% of them connected on by Van were done at distance.

In the last bout for Tatsuro Taira, he squared up with Brandon Moreno and wound up taking home the win via a punch to the head in round 2. Moreno ended up landing 77% of the significant strikes he took from distance and Taira ended up connecting on 25% of the significant strikes he attempted from distance. Taira landed 58% of the significant strikes he attempted by connecting on 28 of 48. He ended up connecting on 23 of 42 significant strikes to the head. Moreno ended up landing 9 of 17 significant strikes in that fight. Of those significant strikes, he landed 8 of 14 aimed at the head. In relation to total strikes attempted in that fight, Moreno was 9 of 17 while Taira connected on 45 of 65 of all the strikes he threw.

Other fights to watch out for

Another fight that you're going to want to watch is when Alexander Volkov squares up in the Octagon against Waldo Cortes Acosta. Volkov steps into the Octagon holding a record of 39-11-0. The 37-year-old tips the scales at 250 lbs and stands 6'7". The orthodox fighter has an arm span of 80". Cortes Acosta comes in at 6'4" and weighs 260 lbs. The orthodox fighter comes into this fight with a record of 17-2-0. The 34-year-old reaches 78". Regarding grappling, Alexander Volkov takes his opponents down 0.57 times per 3 rds and Waldo Cortes Acosta gets a takedown 0.44 times per 3 rds. When it comes to striking, Volkov is connecting on 4.78 strikes/min and lands 57% out of all the strikes he attempts. On the other side we have Waldo Cortes Acosta, who connects on 49% of the strikes he attempts and connects on 5.54 per minute.

An additional fight that you're going to want to see is when Joaquin Buckley is set to take on Sean Brady. Brady walks into the Octagon holding a record of 18-2-0. The 33-year-old weighs in at 170 lbs and comes in at 5'10". The orthodox fighter stretches 72". Buckley measures in at 5'10" and steps on the scale at 170 lbs. The southpaw fighter looks to add a win to his career total of 21-7-0. The 32-year-old extends his reach 76". In terms of wrestling, Sean Brady thwarts 86% of his opponents' takedown attempts and is getting his opponent to the mat on 53% of his tries. Buckley is taking his opponents to the mat on 45% of his tries and is able to thwart 72% of all takedown attempts. With reference to striking, Brady takes 3.05 strikes/min while he lands 3.96 per min. Buckley, notwithstanding, is taking 2.93 strikes/min and dishes out 3.88 per minute.

Who will win tonight's UFC match against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Tatsuro Taira (-160)

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Joshua Van vs Tatsuro Taira Pick, 05/09/2026 Predictions UFC Vegas 117 Odds

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