Joshua Van’s impressive showing at UFC 331 has earned widespread admiration from fellow fighters.
Van, with a professional MMA record of 18-2 and an 11-1 UFC tally, successfully defended his flyweight championship by defeating Alexandre Pantoja (30-7 MMA, 14-5 UFC) for the second time in Saturday’s main event held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Jorge Masvidal believes Van is potentially just one victory away from surpassing Demetrious Johnson as the greatest flyweight in history, even though their career achievements differ. Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley also envisions a remarkable future for Van.
“Joshua Van is one of my favorite fighters to watch right now,” O’Malley shared on his YouTube channel. “He’s destined to be known as the greatest flyweight ever and possibly one of the best pound-for-pound fighters of all time. At just 24 years old, he just defeated a tough Pantoja, who fought with emotion and intensity but never lost his stamina because he maintains constant pressure. That made the fight incredibly exciting.”
Van is slated to defend his title next against the rising finisher Manel Kape. Having outlasted both Tatsuro Taira and Alexandre Pantoja in previous championship bouts, O’Malley doubts Kape will be able to dethrone him.
“I don’t think many fighters can give him a true battle,” O’Malley said. “Taira and Pantoja did, so will Kape? Maybe. That would make for an exciting flyweight title fight. But it’s going to be tough to beat Van because his boxing skills are so refined.”
Fan Take: Joshua Van’s dominance and skill at such a young age are electrifying for fight fans, signaling the arrival of a new superstar in the flyweight division. His rise could redefine the division’s competitiveness and elevate the overall profile of the sport going forward.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
