Flyweight champion Joshua Van, at just 24 years old and with just over three years in the UFC, has already competed in twelve fights. This raises an intriguing question: if Van were to retire today, at the peak of his emerging career, would he already rank among the top three flyweights in UFC history?
While it might sound surprising to place such a young fighter so high, it’s not a criticism of other contenders. Demetrious Johnson remains the division’s legendary figure, with a record 11 successful title defenses, but Van has firmly established himself among the elite. He boasts an 11-1 UFC record, currently on an eight-fight winning streak, and has defended his title twice, including a victory over Alexandre Pantoja, who recently appeared on many pound-for-pound lists.
Sometimes, a phenom must be recognized exactly as they rise—just as Jon Jones was a decade ago. Jones won the light heavyweight title at 23 and dominated key rivals at 24, much like Van’s current trajectory. During his 24th year, Jones defeated former UFC champions Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Lyoto Machida, and Rashad Evans.
Van’s accomplishments already suggest he’s carving out a place on flyweight’s Mount Rushmore. According to data shared by Uncrowned’s editor Shaheen Al-Shatti, Van has landed more significant strikes (1,411) than any flyweight in UFC history, surpassing Brandon Moreno’s 1,375 strikes, despite Moreno having fought nine more times. Van is riding a red-hot eight-fight win streak after losing to Charles Johnson just over two years ago, and while there’s still ground to cover to approach Johnson’s record 13 consecutive wins, Van could feasibly reach it by 2028.
In addition, Van has tied the record for the third-most flyweight title victories, matching both Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo within just nine months of winning the belt last December—a remarkable feat. He’s also fifth in all-time flyweight wins with 11, just two shy of Demetrious Johnson’s 13, who had a much longer career span.
Van is known for his relentless offensive style, as evidenced by him being the fastest fighter in UFC history to reach 1,000 significant strikes. In fact, he’s on pace to become the quickest to 1,500 significant strikes across all weight divisions. He’s already landed 450 more strikes than Max Holloway did at the same career stage. Even when battling through a shoulder injury recently against Pantoja, Van managed to throw an impressive 181 significant strikes.
Despite this, Van might not yet receive the full recognition he deserves. He is likely to face Manel Kape next and is considered an underdog in opening odds, reflecting a public perception that might underestimate his talent.
If there’s one criticism Van himself acknowledges, it’s his defensive vulnerability. After the fight with Pantoja, he admitted, “I get hit too much, man. I could’ve done a lot better.” Pantoja landed 147 significant strikes on Van, a high number for any champion. This trend of absorbing heavy punishment was also seen in Van’s fight against Tatsuro Taira, with an average of 5.83 strikes absorbed per minute over three title fights—a rate considerably higher than Pantoja’s 3.97 and Figueiredo’s 3.35. By comparison, Demetrious Johnson absorbed significantly fewer strikes (2.26 per minute) during his early title defenses.
Van commented on Pantoja’s unpredictability and questioned if he had prepared adequately for the fight. Still, his resilience and performance remain impressive.
If Van chose to retire now, at 24, he would already be counted among the best flyweights of the last 13 years—a remarkable achievement given his age and frequency of fights. This only makes his future potential even more exciting.
Fan Take: Joshua Van’s rapid rise and relentless style are redefining what it means to be a dominant flyweight in the UFC. For fight fans, his journey signals a thrilling new era of skill and pace in the division, potentially setting new standards for offensive output and resilience that could transform the sport.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
