Joshua Van did not hide his admiration for Alexandre Pantoja . The Burmese-American fighter spoke about how he sees the Brazilian's career during an interview on UFC 323 media day, this past Wednesday (3). Joshua has the mission of trying to take the flyweight belt (up to 56,7 kg) from Pantoja this Saturday (6), in Las Vegas (USA).
Joshua Van hasn't lost in five fights. Even though he's in good form, the 24-year-old fighter praised the career of Brazilian Alexandre Pantoja in a recent interview.
“We have to give credit to (Alexandre) Pantoja. He is the greatest of all time in my eyes. This (fight) is the promising young man against the great champion,” said Joshua Van on UFC 323 media day, this Wednesday (3).
When asked for his opinion, Joshua Van explained that he hadn't seen Demetrious Johnson in action, therefore he preferred to elevate Alexandre Pantoja to the position of greatest of all time in the flyweight division.
“I started watching UFC fights after 2017, so I didn’t get to see Demetrious Johnson fight. I only saw (Alexandre) Pantoja. When he won the belt, that’s when I made my debut and things like that, so I’m used to seeing him at the top, that’s why I say he’s the greatest of all time,” Joshua Van added.
Alexandre Pantoja already holds significant records in the UFC flyweight division: most wins (14), finishes (8), and submissions (6). On the other hand, Demetrious Johnson still leads in important categories such as consecutive wins (13) and title defenses (12).
Joshua Van's MMA stats
Joshua Van has a professional record of 15 wins and two losses in MMA. The 24-year-old fighter has been in the UFC since 2023, when he debuted with a split decision victory over Zhalgas Zhumagulov in the main event that featured Ilia Topuria vs. Josh Emmett . Now, as a challenger for the flyweight title, Joshua is excited about the opportunity.
“It’s great to represent the younger generation. Like, look, the 2000s, the fighters born in that era, that’s history too. I feel like with every fight, I make history,” concluded Joshua Van on UFC 323 media day, this Wednesday (3).
Check out the UFC 323 fight card below (subject to change).
UFC 323 fight schedule
MAIN CARD (From 00:00):
Bantamweight: Merab Dvalishvili x Petr Yan – Belt fight
Flyweight: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Joshua Van – Title fight
Flyweight: Brandon Moreno x Tatsuro Taira
Bantamweight: Henry Cejudo vs. Payton Talbott
Light heavyweight: Jan Blachowicz vs. Bogdan Guskov
PRELIMINARY CARD (Starting at 20 PM):
Middleweight: Marvin Vettori vs. Brunno Ferreira
Flyweight: Maycee Barber x Karine Silva
Lightweight: Fares Ziam x Nazim Sadykhov
Lightweight: Edson Barboza x Jalin Turner
Light heavyweight: Iwo Baraniewski vs. Ibo Aslan
Lightweight: Grant Dawson x Manuel Torres
Featherweight: Muhammad Naimov x Mairon Santos
Middleweight: Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Antonio Trócoli
Lightweight: Terrance McKinney x Chris Duncan
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