The UFC Men's flyweight title: A visual history

Ben Duffy/Sherdog.com illustration

On Saturday at UFC 328, Joshua Van will have the opportunity to silence some doubters.

The 24-year-old phenom challenged Alexandre Pantoja for the Ultimate Fighting Championship men’s flyweight belt last December at UFC 323, winning by TKO in just 26 seconds when the champ suffered an arm injury. Pantoja entered that bout on a string of four straight title defenses, and as easily the most dominant 125-pounder since Demetrious Johnson, earned the benefit of the doubt in the eyes of many fans, who preferred to wait for a rematch before according Van the status of baddest man in the division.

That rematch may be coming later this year, but with Pantoja still unable to return to action, the new champ will instead face fellow 20-something Tatsuro Taira, who sports a 9-1 mark in the Octagon and stands as the best hope to become Japan’s first UFC titleholder. While it doesn’t offer the neat closure of a Van-Pantoja rematch, it’s worth noting that Taira is the betting favorite heading into fight week; Van may have an uphill climb to convince the naysayers that he is a legitimate champion, but a win on Saturday would be a substantial step in the right direction.

Here is the nearly 15-year history of the UFC men’s flyweight title and the times it was won, lost or defended. It tells the story of a division that was on life support just a few short years ago, but has bounced back to become one of the most exciting and dynamic shark tanks in all of MMA.