Joshua van - News & Rumors - UFC

Petr Yan stunningly dominates Merab Dvalishvili to capture the bantamweight championship at UFC 323

Petr Yan stunned Merab Dvalishvili with a dominating effort to capture the bantamweight championship by unanimous decision at UFC 323 on Saturday night

DECEMBER 7 • Associated Press

New champ following opponent injury Van won the UFC Flyweight Championship on Saturday, defeating Alexandre Pantoja via TKO (injury) at 0:26 of Round 1 at UFC 323 in Las Vegas.

Impact There's nothing to say about this fight from a technical standpoint. Van blocked an early head kick from Pantoja and the latter appeared to snap his arm near the elbow as he attempted to brace himself upon falling to the mat. Just like that, Van is a UFC champion at age 24. His first title defense is going to come against Tatsuro Taira, who became the first man to stop Brandon Moreno earlier in the evening and was cage side for this one.

DECEMBER 7 • ROTOWIRE

UFC 323: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Joshua Van odds, picks and predictions Alexandre Pantoja and Joshua Van meet Saturday at UFC 323 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card is scheduled to begin at 10...

DECEMBER 6 • NEWS-JOURNALONLINE.COM

Merab Dvalishvili aims to extend winning streak against Petr Yan in UFC 323

Merab Dvalishvili is a substantial favorite to beat Petr Yan and retain his bantamweight belt in UFC 323 on Saturday night

DECEMBER 5 • Associated Press

Joshua Van eyes finish of Alexandre Pantoja in UFC 323 flyweight title bout UFC flyweight contender Joshua Van speaks to MMA Junkie Radio ahead of his title shot against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 323 in Las Vegas.

OCTOBER 16 • USATODAY.COM

Gets title shot at 24 years old Van will take on Alexandre Pantoja for the UFC Flyweight Championship at UFC 323 on Dec. 6, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.

Impact Van is in the midst of a five-fight winning streak, most recently defeated Brandon Royval in a Fight of the Night-winning effort back in June. Despite absorbing 215 significant strikes in three hard rounds, Van will be ready for a turnaround less than six months later. Van may very well be the future of the flyweight division given he's only 24 years old, but he'll likely enter this one against Pantoja as the underdog, given "The Cannibal" has nearly cleaned out the division with four consecutive title defenses.

OCTOBER 14 • ROTOWIRE

UFC title fight between Alexandre Pantoja and Joshua Van official The UFC has given Alexandre Pantoja and Joshua Van exactly what they asked for.

OCTOBER 14 • USATODAY.COM

Joshua Van shares two-word reaction as his title fight against Alexandre Pantoja is seemingly leaked at UFC Rio An MMA fighter reportedly leaked the details about Alexandre Pantoja's potential flyweight title defense against Joshua Van later this year,...

OCTOBER 12 • SPORTSKEEDA.COM

UFC 5 Patch 1.27 Brings Gameplay Tweaks and Joshua Van's Debut Submission fixes and stability updates headline the latest UFC 5 patch If you've ever been caught in a triangle choke online and thought you...

SEPTEMBER 24 • THENEWSTRIBUNE.COM

Joshua Van confirms possible title fight news with short message to fans Hot prospect Joshua Van cemented his place at the top of the flyweight division with a three-round spectacle over Brandon Royval at UFC 317.

AUGUST 27 • SI.COM

Joshua Van: 'I don't give respect to nobody inside that cage' Four months again, UFC flyweight Joshua Van was unranked.

JULY 8 • KANSASCITY.COM

After Just Five Years of MMA Training, Rising UFC Star May Become a Champion At just 23 years old, Joshua Van has accomplished what most fighters spend a lifetime chasing.

JUNE 29 • THESTATE.COM

Joshua Van reacts to faceoff with Alexandre Pantoja, predicts title win UFC 317 winner Joshua Van spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters post-fight after his unanimous decision victory over Brandon Royval in Las Vegas...

JUNE 29 • USATODAY.COM

UFC 317 Delivers All-Time Fight Night Headlined By Ilia Topuria KO | Deadspin.com UFC 317 was a stunner. Ilia Topuria knocked out Charles Oliveira, Joshua Van and Brandon Royval delivered a classic, and Payton Talbott made...

JUNE 29 • DEADSPIN.COM

Joshua Van defeats Brandon Royval at UFC 317 in potential Fight of the Year Top flyweight contender Brandon Royval faced rising star Joshua Van on the UFC 317 main card on Saturday in Las Vegas.

JUNE 29 • THENEWSTRIBUNE.COM

Rise to top continues Van defeated Brandon Royval via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) at UFC 317 on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Impact It's Van's third win of 2025 and his second win in a span of three weeks in what was a legitimate Fight of the Year contender. This one came over the guy that entered the evening as the No. 1 ranked flyweight in the promotion. As is the case in every Van fight, it was a wild war. Royval tried to drown Van with volume, but Josh simply stood his ground and consistently beat his opponent to the punch. Van's boxing is elite. It would be nice to see him use a bit more head movement, but he's proven to be supremely durable and the style works for him, so there's no reason to change it. Van has fought a ridiculous nine times since his June 2023 debut, going 8-1. It's going to be very hard for the UFC to deny Van, who won't be 24 years of age until October, the next shot at the UFC Flyweight Championship. Title holder Alexandre Pantoja and challenger Kai Kara-France will fight for the gold later in the evening.

JUNE 29 • ROTOWIRE

Brandon Royval: 'I'm continually disrespected by fans and oddsmakers' UFC 317 fighter Brandon Royval spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters at media day for his main card bout vs. Joshua Van on Saturday in Las Vegas...

JUNE 25 • USATODAY.COM

Joshua Van's plan: Knock out Brandon Royval, fight for title, become champ | UFC 317 UFC 317 fighter Joshua Van spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters at media day for his main card bout vs. Brandon Royval on Saturday in Las Vegas...

JUNE 25 • USATODAY.COM

Huge opportunity scheduled Van is scheduled to compete against fellow flyweight Brandon Royval at UFC 317 in Paradise on June 28, according to Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.

Impact Barely multiple days after Van defeated Bruno Silva to go 2-0 in 2025, Manel Kape fractured his right foot. He was scheduled to fight Royval at UFC 317, leaving the UFC flyweight division's No. 1 contender without an opponent. In under three weeks' notice and not even a month after his last fight, Van will step up. In just half a year, he has an opportunity to do something unthinkable, going from an unranked contender to a division's top challenger. Currently, it is Royval, with only one loss across his last six fights, with said defeat to UFC Flyweight Champion Alexandre Pantoja.

JUNE 11 • ROTOWIRE

Joshua Van don't give a damn: Surging UFC flyweight explains taking Brandon Royval fight One day after his UFC 316 fight, Joshua Van eagerly accepted a potential title eliminator at UFC 317.

JUNE 11 • USATODAY.COM

Manel Kape out of UFC 317, Joshua Van steps in to face Brandon Royval Manel Kape is out of his scheduled UFC 317 bout against former title challenger Brandon Royval and Joshua Van has stepped in as a replacemen...

JUNE 9 • THESTATE.COM

UFC 316: Joshua Van post-fight interview UFC 316 winner Joshua Van spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters post-fight after his third-round TKO of Bruno Silva.

JUNE 8 • USATODAY.COM

Cruises as biggest favorite on card Van defeated Bruno Silva via TKO (punches) at 4:03 of Round 3 at UFC 316 on Saturday in Newark, New Jersey.

Impact On a card with a ton of massive favorites, Van was the biggest at upwards of -750. The juice appeared to be entirely justified following this performance. Van closed with a 125-76 edge in total strikes landed and was credited with three knockdowns. The toughness of Silva combined with referee Vitor Ribeiro's strange reluctance to pull the plug was the only reason this fight went as long as it did. Van won't be 24 years until October. He's fought a whopping eight times since his June 2023 UFC debut, going 7-1. That kind of work load is not a feasible option moving forward, however. Van will need to pick and choose his spots as he moves up the rankings.

JUNE 8 • ROTOWIRE

Silva scheduled again Van (undisclosed) is scheduled to compete against Bruno Silva in a flyweight fight at UFC 316 on June 7, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.

Impact Before both Van and Rei Tsuruya fought at UFC 313, the former was supposed to fight Silva before his bout withdrawal. Van defeated Tsuruya and will look to do the same against Silva.

MARCH 26 • ROTOWIRE

Joshua Van def. Rei Tsuruya at UFC 313: Best photos Check out the best photos from Joshua Van’s unanimous decision win over Rei Tsuruya at UFC 313.

MARCH 9 • USATODAY.COM

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Petr Yan stunningly dominates Merab Dvalishvili to capture the bantamweight championship at UFC 323

Merab Dvalishvili aims to extend winning streak against Petr Yan in UFC 323