Joshua Van determined to upset Brandon Royval at UFC 317, then dethrone Alexandre Pantoja
Joshua Van is rocketing his way to the top of the UFC flyweight division. (Elsa/Getty Images)
As he ascends to the top of the UFC flyweight division, Joshua Van isn't wasting any time.
Van, 23, closed out the preliminary card of UFC 316 this past weekend with his fourth straight victory, finishing Bruno Gustavo de Silva with third-round strikes to vault into the top 10 of the promotion's flyweight rankings. The performance impressed UFC brass enough that when Manel Kape withdrew from his UFC 317 top-contender matchup against Brandon Royval, Van got the call to jump in for June 28.
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Speaking Wednesday on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show," Van made it clear that he expects to challenge for gold with a win over the No. 1-ranked Royval.
'If I win this fight, I'm No. 1," Van said. "No [UFC hasn't said that], but who am I supposed to fight next? If I beat the No. 1 guy, I'm the No. 1 [guy]. So that's what I'm thinking right now.
'The only reason I called out [Brandon] Moreno [after UFC 316] was because everyone in the top 15 had a matchup and stuff like that. It was just me and him that were left, and he said he wanted to fight on Noche UFC, I want to fight in Texas. But if they give me a title [fight after UFC 317], hell yeah, I'll take the title.'
With a 7-1 UFC record, Van has swiftly emerged as one of the flyweight division's top rising talents. He was also the third-highest ranking MMA representative on Uncrowned's Top 25 Under Top 25 list.
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Despite his great success, Van had no expectation of be able to fight Royval so soon. When approached by his manager with the news and the opportunity to replace Kape, he didn't even believe it.
Once accepted, though, it was right back to training after clearing through de Silva unscathed.
'I don't really watch fights," Van said, "but now when they called me for this fight, I went back and watched all [of Royval's] fights. I knew who he was. He's a tough guy in the division.
"When they called me Sunday, it's just opportunity that I can't say no. I told the media I want to fight as soon as possible, so the UFC gave me a matchup and I have to say yes.'
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With just two years in the UFC under his belt, Van has been incredibly active. He notched a rare four-fight campaign in 2024 and is already heading toward his third appearance this year with his quick turnaround against Royval. To further align his goals, the flyweight championship is also on the line at UFC 317 when dominant titleholder Alexandre Pantoja defends against Kai Kara-France.
Van promised that he doesn't plan on slowing down that breakneck pace even if he becomes the champion. But first, he has to upset Royval and see how things play out in UFC 317's co-main event.
Van promised that he doesn't plan on slowing down that breaknec pace even if he becomes the champion. But first, he has to upset Royval and see how things play out in UFC 317's co-main event.
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"Kai is a very powerful guy. So I feel like if Kai doesn't show him too much respect, I think he can get it done," Van said. "But if Pantoja bullies him in there, it's done. It's over.
'It would be ideal if I fight Pantoja because nobody's ever beaten him as the champion. So if I go out there and beat him, that would be [great]. May the best man win.'
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