Joshua Van says he'll 'get the title for sure' with UFC 317 win vs. Brandon Royval
LAS VEGAS – Joshua Van feels a UFC title shot is within reach.
Taking a short-notice fight against former title challenger Brandon Royval, Van (13-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) thinks a win at Saturday's UFC 317 will put him next in line to fight for the flyweight championship. Van believes his four fight winning streak plus a statement win over Royval (17-7 MMA, 7-3 UFC) would be enough to get the job done.
"After I beat him, I'm going to get the title for sure," Van said at Wednesday's UFC 317 media day.UFC 317, which takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, comes just three weeks after Van's most recent bout, as he fought and won at UFC 316 earlier this month. To many, this is a quick turnaround, but Van feels he was given plenty of time to step in for an injured Manel Kape.
"It's not a short notice, I say, because three weeks is plenty of time," Van explained. "Like I said, shout out to him for giving me a chance to fight with him, you know what I mean? But yeah, the media work, I'd rather do this."
Van respects Kape, but does think the matchup did get better in entertainment quality. He expects to give fans a war come Saturday.
"Yes, I think (it's a better fight)," Van said. "I mean, just because of our fighting styles. Don't get me wrong, Manel is a great fighter, but the thing that I bring is different. Two pressure fighting going in and fighting in the middle of the cage. It's going to be great for the fans."
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