Rising flyweight star Joshua Van has a huge opportunity this weekend against one of the greatest of all time in his division.
The youngster born in Hakha, Myanmar has looked electrifying in the UFC since debuting back in the summer of 2023. Now nine fights deep in his UFC career he finds himself facing off against an all time great and future hall of famer at UFC 323. Alexandre Pantoja is widely regarded as one of if not the best 125lbs fighter to grace the UFC Octagon in comparison with the everlasting and dominant Demetrious Johnson. If Pantoja is victorious versus Van at UFC 323 it would be his 5th consecutive title defence since winning the belt in 2023.
Joshua Van Has no Game Plan at UFC 323
Given the quality of the champion Pantoja, the comments being made prior to the bout by the challenger Van this week are surprising. Particularly regarding the preparation for the colossal contest.
When speaking to Ariel Helwani, the challenger had this to say, “I don’t have any game plan to be honest. It depends where the fight goes… you can make a game plans and things like that, but when the fight comes it can be a whole different game.”
The 23 year old followed up stating that, “I don’t want to focus on just one thing wherever the fight [may] go. What we see on TV [versus] when we locked in the cage together it’s different. I’m the type of guy that likes to adjust to their styles when I’m in the cage.” Quotes via Ariel Helwani Show.
The brazen youngster is not only bold in strategy going in “without a game plan” but also in prediction as he believes he will knock out Pantoja within 3 rounds. If these premonitions prove right it would be an astounding victory. Pantoja has never been finished in his MMA career with his five defats all coming via decision and his last loss coming over five years ago.