Joshua Van isn’t letting the outside noise distract him as he prepares for the toughest challenge of his career.
Van (15-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) emerged victorious in a potential Fight of the Year contender at UFC 317 against Brandon Royval—a win that earned him the next shot at UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja (30-5 MMA, 14-3 UFC).
“The Fearless” is expected to face Pantoja later this year following an exceptional run of performances. At just 23 years old, the Myanmar-born flyweight seems to have come out of nowhere to leapfrog the rest of the 125-pound division. But Van is ready to prove the doubters wrong.
“You know how the fans are like ‘Joshua Van is not ready’ — I see all the comments and shit like that,” Van said during an interview with MMA Fighting. “We win the fight. Now people are saying I’m not ready for the title fight and this and that.
“What are they going to say when we win that belt? We’re just trying to stay in our lane and grind. Like we did every f*cking day.”
Pantoja has ruled the roost in the flyweight division over the past few years. “The Cannibal” became the champion in 2023 and has now won five title fights in a row, cementing his status as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world today.
“He’s beating all the guys but styles make fights,” Van said about Pantoja. “Like I said, everybody that Brandon Royval fought, he beat, except for the champion and I beat him. It’s just an opinion.
“At the end of the day, I could be the greatest thing that ever happened in this world but people will still find a way to put me down. I don’t (pay) mind to that shit.”
Pantoja’s grappling has proven too much to handle for every challenger he has faced during his title reign. The Brazilian dominated Kai Kara-France in the co-main event at UFC 317, finishing the Kiwi with a rear-naked choke in the third round—his sixth submission victory in the UFC.
“I’m always confident. I just don’t like hugging another man in a fight,” Van said. “That’s the reason why ya’ll don’t see my ground game. But when it comes to a couple of fights where I got hurt, I take people down. I’ve got it in my back pocket. When it’s time to use it, I use it.
“Who do you see in the UFC that can hold me down? All my previous fights, they took me down but what happened? It’s just an opinion at the end of the day. I know they’re going to ask me same the question over and over and over again. Like what do you think? Can you defend his takedowns? Yeah, if I didn’t think I could defend it, do you think I’d be willing to fight him? Things like that. Of course, me and my team we believe in ourselves. We believe in our work and I believe my coaches will find a way for me to beat the champ.”
