Joshua Van Reveals What Fueled His Focus Ahead of Alexandre Pantoja Rematch
Reigning UFC flyweight titleholder Joshua Van has opened up about what fueled him ahead of his UFC 331 title rematch with Alexandre Pantoja.
Last year at UFC 323, Joshua Van dethroned Alexandre Pantoja. However, the victory did not come in the way anyone would have wanted. While throwing a kick that Van caught, "The Cannibal" lost his balance and landed awkwardly, which caused him to dislocate his shoulder and suffer a freak injury.
Due to this accident, Pantoja lost his 125-pound strap in just 26 seconds.
Following Van's title win, many labeled him an accidental champion. However, the 25-year-old always believed in his abilities. While Pantoja recovered and prepared for a title rematch, Van defended his belt by knocking out Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328.
Then, at UFC 331, when Van and Pantoja ran it back, the Myanmar phenom went the full five rounds with the former champion. He handled Pantoja's pressure with ease, repeatedly stopped the takedowns, and excelled on the feet. Van landed a total of 181 significant strikes and also dropped the Brazilian en route to a unanimous decision win.
Why Joshua Van Was Locked in Before Alexandre Pantoja Rematch
In a recent interview, Joshua Van revealed that Alexander Pantoja had claimed before their title rematch that, at UFC 323, Van was scared to fight him and thus never gave him a chance to put his dislocated shoulder back in place so the fight could go on.
Van took those comments to heart and used them as motivation to prove he was the better fighter come UFC 331 fight night. On Outta Pocket with RGIII, he said:
"A couple months later, you’re talking about I was afraid to fight you. It was crazy to me. I was like, man, I’m going to show the world."
Check out Joshua Van's comments below:
What's Next For Joshua Van?
"The Fearless" is gearing up to face knockout artist Manel Kape in the main event of UFC 336 on January 30, 2027.
However, during the same sitdown, Van showed interest in moving up to fight current and two-time bantamweight champion Petr Yan down the line. He added:
“That would be ideal, right? Petr Yan is someone that I really watched when I first came into the game, because I really like his style. And we kind of have the same style, so I really watched him.”
Check out Joshua Van's comments below:
