Din Thomas thinks next Saturday’s title fight against Alexandre Pantoja may have come too soon for Joshua Van.
Flyweight prospect Van (15-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) has been rewarded for his strong form inside the Octagon with a shot at Pantoja (30-5 MMA, 14-3 UFC) in the co-main event at UFC 323 this weekend.
The 24-year-old extended his winning streak to five when he outpointed former title challenger Brandon Royval at UFC 317 in June, in a fight that will surely be a frontrunner for Fight of the Year.
While “The Fearless” has looked sensational at times during his UFC tenure, UFC analyst Thomas feels that his boxing-centered style may not be well suited to withstand the grappling prowess of Pantoja, who has submitted his last two opponents and has dominated the flyweight division since becoming champion in mid-2023.
"I think Pantoja, I don't want to say walks through him, but I think stylistically, he has all the advantages to make this look exactly the way he beat Kai Kara-France, and I think it's going to look similar to that," Thomas told MMA Junkie.
"I think he's going to fake some takedowns and get Van thinking about that takedown, then he's going to bust him up a little bit on the feet then take him down, and eventually probably get his back and choke him out.
"And I say this will all due respect because Joshua Van, like Waldo Cortes-Acosta, is one of my favorite fighters right now. But stylistically, I just don't think he's at the level right now to be able to deal with Pantoja. This guy's only been doing this for five years. Like, Pantoja was probably a black belt five years ago so, I think it's a little premature for him."
