Flyweights Edgar Chairez and Joshua Van were the second pairing to face off inside The Sphere in Las Vegas at UFC 306 on Saturday, a rather special card for the promotion.
The night was set to honor Mexican Independence Day, billed as Noche UFC, a tradition that kicked off a year ago. It was also expected to be the UFC’s one and only stop at the newly opened venue.
Chairez stayed busy in the opening round, mixing up low kicks and even knees to the body. Before long, Van’s leg was feeling it, and his mobility was at least somewhat compromised. In the second half of the round, a right hand by Chairez backed Van up, with Josh looking hurt. Chairez couldn’t find the finish, however, with Van recovering and answering with a kick.
In round two, Van began turning up the heat, connecting to the body and hurting Chairez about a minute in. Van began unloading, and Chairez was desperately trying to cover up, under heavy fire. Van was firing lefts and rights, Chairez tried to return fire, but Van was lighting him up! More looping punches, more body shots, and Chairez looked ready to crumble. A desperation spinning back fist clipped Van just ahead of a possible TKO however, putting Van on his heels. The pair then went to the ground, Van on top, with over two minutes still on the clock.
Van, after a few moments to collect his sense, wisely got back up, where he’d had considerable success. There, the slugfest continued, with Van adding in a spinning back kick. Chairez battled back, and Van went in on a takedown, only for Chairez to defend with a guillotine. While he couldn’t finish, it still stall Van’s progression, and took the fight into the final minute, with the third round looming large.
The chaos subsided in round three, with the pair briefly going to the floor. They wouldn’t stay there long, with Chairez trying to control Van back on the feet. Van, however, had other ideas landing another takedown. Van then had to contend with a triangle attempt, but time was now a factor with a minute left on the clock. A closer, back-and-forth round that saw Van land some solid ground strikes. Van would move to half guard with just under 30 seconds to go, going body-head and finishing the fight on top.
Official Result: Joshua Van def. Edgar Chairez by unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28)
