Joshua Van will step into the biggest moment of his young career at UFC 323 on Saturday night, as the surging flyweight contender challenges reigning champion Alexandre Pantoja for the belt in front of a packed arena.
Van (15-2), who has quickly won over fans with his fearless style and fast-track rise, now gets his chance to shock the division on one of MMA’s biggest stages. He’s become one of the biggest fan favorites on the roster.
“That’s crazy right? Because before the (Brandon) Royval fight they was like, ‘even if you lose, it’s okay’. I don’t plan on losing. I’m here to take that belt from one of the greatest in our division,” Van told reporters on Wednesday.
“That’s the goal and I stay at that.”
Van enters fight week unbothered by the champion’s aura, insisting that Pantoja’s aggressive style may play directly into his strengths. The fan-favorite flyweight believes the narrative around the matchup has overlooked what he does best, punish opponents who overcommit on the feet.
“Like I always say man they give him too much respect. You got to remember, I’m a counter puncher, so let’s see if he wants to rush in with that. We have to wait and see come December 6,” he said.
“We got to give credit to Pantoja. He’s the greatest of all time in my eyes, in our division. This is the up-and-coming versus the great,” he said.
Before Saturday night, questions lingered about how Van would approach the biggest fight of his young career, a title shot against reigning champion Pantoja. When asked about the champion’s aura, Van didn’t hesitate to fire back with confidence.
“After I beat Pantoja, that’s the UFC to decide who I’ll fight next,” Van said.
“I don’t really worry about nothing else. There’s only one guys in my mind. That’s Pantoja.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Joshua Van above. He challenges Alexandre Pantoja for the flyweight title at UFC 323 on Saturday night.
