Joshua Van
The Fearless
Myanmar
Goes to war in first title defense
Van defeated Tatsuro Taira via TKO (Front Kick to the Body and Punches) at 1:32 of Round 5 to retain the UFC flyweight title on Saturday in Newark.
ANALYSIS
Van came prepared for his grapple-heavy opponent, as he routinely scrambled out of bad positions on the ground to return to his feet and employ his boxing attack. "Fearless" may have been feeling the moment a bit too much when he tried to snatch a submission after hurting Tiara in Round 3, but jabs and crushing body work allowed him to build his combinations and find a finish early in Round 5 Given what we know about his defensive grappling prowess, it was a bit strange that Van came into this fight as a solid underdog, but it may be the case that the public wasn't quite sure how to react after Van won the title via an injury to Alexandre Pantoja. Respect is sure to follow from this performance, as Van never lost composure despite momentum swings and was ready to throw in combination with power as soon as he was in boxing range. Van improved to 16-2-0 in professional MMA due to the victory.
Van came prepared for his grapple-heavy opponent, as he routinely scrambled out of bad positions on the ground to return to his feet and employ his boxing attack. "Fearless" may have been feeling the moment a bit too much when he tried to snatch a submission after hurting Tiara in Round 3, but jabs and crushing body work allowed him to build his combinations and find a finish early in Round 5 Given what we know about his defensive grappling prowess, it was a bit strange that Van came into this fight as a solid underdog, but it may be the case that the public wasn't quite sure how to react after Van won the title via an injury to Alexandre Pantoja. Respect is sure to follow from this performance, as Van never lost composure despite momentum swings and was ready to throw in combination with power as soon as he was in boxing range. Van improved to 16-2-0 in professional MMA due to the victory.
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Taira fight pushed back
Van (undisclosed) will no longer take on Tatsuro Taira at UFC 327, as the fight has been rescheduled to UFC 328, per Guilherme Cruz of MMAFighting.com.
ANALYSIS
Van was slated to defend his title after becoming the UFC Flyweight Champion in a brief fight against Alexandre Pantoja in which the latter got hurt. However, he'll have to wait to defend his title, as he's pulled out of the bout for undisclosed reasons. Still, the promotion has quickly rescheduled the fight, and both fighters now have slightly longer to prepare.
Van was slated to defend his title after becoming the UFC Flyweight Champion in a brief fight against Alexandre Pantoja in which the latter got hurt. However, he'll have to wait to defend his title, as he's pulled out of the bout for undisclosed reasons. Still, the promotion has quickly rescheduled the fight, and both fighters now have slightly longer to prepare.
Will fight Tatsuro Taira
Van will take on Tatsuro Taira in a flyweight event at UFC 327 on April 11, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Van became the UFC Flyweight champion after defeating Alexandre Pantoja when the latter suffered an injury just 24 seconds into the bout. Van against Taira was the matchup everybody was waiting for, and it will be a huge test for Van in his first-ever title defense. Van has won his last six fights.
Van became the UFC Flyweight champion after defeating Alexandre Pantoja when the latter suffered an injury just 24 seconds into the bout. Van against Taira was the matchup everybody was waiting for, and it will be a huge test for Van in his first-ever title defense. Van has won his last six fights.
New champ following opponent injury
Van won the UFC Flyweight Championship on Saturday, defeating Alexandre Pantoja via TKO (injury) at 0:26 of Round 1 at UFC 323 in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
There's nothing to say about this fight from a technical standpoint. Van blocked an early head kick from Pantoja, and the latter appeared to snap his arm near the elbow as he attempted to brace himself upon falling to the mat. Just like that, Van is a UFC champion at age 24. His first title defense is most likely going to come against Tatsuro Taira, who became the first man to stop Brandon Moreno earlier in the evening and was cage side for this one. But a rematch against Pantoja, when healthy, is likely also in the company's 2026 plans.
There's nothing to say about this fight from a technical standpoint. Van blocked an early head kick from Pantoja, and the latter appeared to snap his arm near the elbow as he attempted to brace himself upon falling to the mat. Just like that, Van is a UFC champion at age 24. His first title defense is most likely going to come against Tatsuro Taira, who became the first man to stop Brandon Moreno earlier in the evening and was cage side for this one. But a rematch against Pantoja, when healthy, is likely also in the company's 2026 plans.
Gets title shot at 24 years old
Van will take on Alexandre Pantoja for the UFC Flyweight Championship at UFC 323 on Dec. 6, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Van is in the midst of a five-fight winning streak, most recently defeated Brandon Royval in a Fight of the Night-winning effort back in June. Despite absorbing 215 significant strikes in three hard rounds, Van will be ready for a turnaround less than six months later. Van may very well be the future of the flyweight division given he's only 24 years old, but he'll likely enter this one against Pantoja as the underdog, given "The Cannibal" has nearly cleaned out the division with four consecutive title defenses.
Van is in the midst of a five-fight winning streak, most recently defeated Brandon Royval in a Fight of the Night-winning effort back in June. Despite absorbing 215 significant strikes in three hard rounds, Van will be ready for a turnaround less than six months later. Van may very well be the future of the flyweight division given he's only 24 years old, but he'll likely enter this one against Pantoja as the underdog, given "The Cannibal" has nearly cleaned out the division with four consecutive title defenses.
Rise to top continues
Van defeated Brandon Royval via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) at UFC 317 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
It's Van's third win of 2025 and his second win in a span of three weeks in what was a legitimate Fight of the Year contender. For now, a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus will have to do. This one came over the guy that entered the evening as the No. 1 ranked flyweight in the promotion. As is the case in every Van fight, it was a wild war. Royval tried to drown Van with volume, but Josh simply stood his ground and consistently beat his opponent to the punch. Van's boxing is elite. It would be nice to see him use a bit more head movement, but he's proven to be supremely durable, and the style works for him, so there's no reason to change it. Van has fought a ridiculous nine times since his June 2023 debut, going 8-1. It's going to be very hard for the UFC to deny Van, who won't be 24 years of age until October, the next shot at the UFC Flyweight Championship. Title holder Alexandre Pantoja and challenger Kai Kara-France went on to fight for gold later in the evening, and after Pantoja won in dominant fashion, Van faced off with him in the Octagon afterwards, all but confirming he'll get the next title shot.
It's Van's third win of 2025 and his second win in a span of three weeks in what was a legitimate Fight of the Year contender. For now, a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus will have to do. This one came over the guy that entered the evening as the No. 1 ranked flyweight in the promotion. As is the case in every Van fight, it was a wild war. Royval tried to drown Van with volume, but Josh simply stood his ground and consistently beat his opponent to the punch. Van's boxing is elite. It would be nice to see him use a bit more head movement, but he's proven to be supremely durable, and the style works for him, so there's no reason to change it. Van has fought a ridiculous nine times since his June 2023 debut, going 8-1. It's going to be very hard for the UFC to deny Van, who won't be 24 years of age until October, the next shot at the UFC Flyweight Championship. Title holder Alexandre Pantoja and challenger Kai Kara-France went on to fight for gold later in the evening, and after Pantoja won in dominant fashion, Van faced off with him in the Octagon afterwards, all but confirming he'll get the next title shot.