Van admittedly didn’t know that one of the greatest MMA
fighters of all time was in the
UFC.
Van (16-2) won the flyweight title against Alexandre
Pantoja via a freak injury at
UFC 323 this past December. “The Fearless” had sparked
controversy in the lead-up to the fight by labellng Pantoja the
greatest flyweight of all time. Fans instantly brought up Demetrious
Johnson (25-4), who is widely considered not only the greatest
flyweight, but arguably the greatest MMA fighter of all time. Van
later explained that he hadn’t watched much of Johnson’s fights and
grew up watching Pantoja.
Not a Historian
Van recently revealed that he wasn’t even aware that Johnson was in
the UFC. The UFC flyweight champion only knew of “Mighty Mouse”
from highlights of his viral flyweight knee knockout over Adriano
Moraes.
“I swear to God, I didn’t know he was in the UFC,” Van said on the
“Jaxxon Podcast.” “I saw him fighting in
ONE
Championship. His highlight was everywhere when he knocked out
the guy with flying knee… Now I know him but I’ve never watched his
fights.”
Johnson defended the UFC flyweight title 11 times before losing it
to Henry
Cejudo in 2018. Johnson was surprisingly traded to ONE
Championship following the loss in exchange for Ben Askren.
Johnson went on to have an illustrious career in ONE Championship,
where he became the flyweight champion. Johnson officially hung up
his gloves in 2024 and became the first ONE Championship Hall of
Fame member.