Joshua Van is stepping back into the octagon this Saturday at UFC 331 to defend his flyweight title against Alexandre Pantoja, and trust me, this isn’t the same respectful champ we saw last time. The 24-year-old from Houston, who usually keeps it chill, is ready to throw down in Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena, especially after Pantoja started “talking crazy.” Van, who was born in Myanmar and has been in Houston since he was 12, is known for his playful jabs among his buddies, but for three years in the UFC, he kept that side hidden. Not anymore, not with Pantoja.
That “Accident” That Made History And Sparked A Feud
Van became Houston’s first UFC champion last December by beating Pantoja, also becoming the second-youngest champ in the promotion’s history. But here’s the kicker: Pantoja, who had been the 125-pound king for two and a half years with an eight-fight winning streak, fell awkwardly after a head kick attempt and dislocated his elbow a mere 26 seconds into the fight. The fight was stopped, Van got the crown, but that win came with a big old asterisk for some fans and media. Van initially went to check on Pantoja, even promised a rematch when he healed up, and there was no bad blood. So what happened? “I thought he was being respectful at first, but then the media and some fans were saying, ‘Oh, Josh didn’t really win this fight,’ and then he took that to the next level,” Van said recently.
From Respect To “Kid” And Cackles, This Just Got Nasty
Things soured fast after that night. Van explained, “Now, he’s just been talking crazy. I had told him we were going to have a rematch, but this guy is trying to make me the bad guy here. It just happened, it was an accident. S- like that happens, but he wants to act like I’m the bad guy, so that’s annoyed me.” The annoyance boiled over at a press conference last month. Pantoja, the 36-year-old veteran, repeatedly called Van “kid,” getting so flustered that UFC president Dana White had to hold him back. Van? He just sat in his chair, cackling. Now, Van calls Pantoja’s talk “cute,” but admits he’s confused. “This guy had nothing but my respect,” Van stated. “He was a great champion. In my eyes, he was the greatest of all-time in the flyweight division, but fo-” The quote cuts off, but the message is clear: that respect is gone.
This main event fight, Joshua Van (17-2) vs. Alexandre Pantoja (30-6), is scheduled for Saturday at 8 p.m. for the main card, streaming live on Paramount+. You won’t want to miss what happens when these two finally square off again.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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