An ecstatic Joshua Van scaled the Octagon wall in a mad scramble. Although an athlete with impeccable control over his body, here he was a young man incapable of suppressing the grin that was stretching his fresh face. At only 24 years old, he had just become the youngest active champion in the UFC – the second-youngest in history, in fact, a matter of months behind the ‘great’ Jon Jones.
Furthermore, he had accomplished this feat by dethroning Alexandre Pantoja, one of the most dominant title holders in recent memory. And in barely 30 seconds, no less. So, why did the MMA fanbase take such issue with Van’s jubilation, his exuberance in this life-changing moment?
It was because Van hadn’t actually beaten Pantoja, people said. Just 26 seconds into their showdown in Las Vegas, flyweight king Pantoja had suffered a ‘freak’ injury, leaving him clutching his arm while laying on the canvas and wagging his finger at Van – standing above the Brazilian – as the referee waved off the fight.
Indeed, the finger-wag did seem to be a request to be left alone by his opponent, rather than an appeal for the official to let him go out on his shield.
And after being escorted out of the cage, Pantoja was immediately treated, with backstage reporter Megan Olivi revealing a left-shoulder dislocation. In the weeks that followed, Pantoja was quick to return to the gym.
And Van would have returned to Myanmar, if he could have, but civil war in his home country ruled out the prospect of a hero’s welcome. His celebrations, to some extent at least, were hampered.
Yet there were those who subscribed to the notion that Van should not have celebrated at all, having not ‘beaten’ Pantoja. It turns out you can win without defeating your opponent, though.
MMA is as physical and dangerous a sport as there is. When Van caught a head kick from Pantoja and shoved him to the canvas, he was showing sharp defence after surviving a few early, chaotic exchanges – the type that Pantoja loves so dearly.
Was Van trying to injure Pantoja’s arm, when he shoved him away? No. Can he take credit for hurting Pantoja enough that the latter could not continue? Yes. Was it as definitive an ending as fans wanted? No. Was it a fair way for Van to win, in a sport as frantic and perilous as MMA? Yes.
Still, many fans questioned the legitimacy of Van’s status as champion. That was, until his first title defence proved the perfect means of converting his doubters.
In May, he won a fight of the year contender with Tatsuro Taira, stopping his challenger in the fifth and final round. With that, Van traversed the best of both worlds: not only proving his doggedness in moments of adversity, but also demonstrating a killer instinct to put away the Japanese.
You may still feel that, until Van beats Pantoja, the Brazilian is the rightful champion, but the onus to prove the truth is as much on Pantoja as it is on Van. On Saturday, when the pair headline UFC 331 in Los Angeles, each gets his chance. At 36 years old, Pantoja may feel the greater pressure.
Yet he will surely do what he always does, and put the in-ring pressure on Van from the get-go, in hopes that the younger man will crack or show any sign of vulnerability. It has worked on most of Pantoja’s opponents; it might even have worked on Van in December, if not for the injury.
In the lead-up to this rematch, Pantoja accused Van of trying to throw punches at him while he lied on the mat, alleging that Van did so despite knowing the Brazilian was injured.
Firstly, Van actually held back from throwing unnecessary strikes, and he checked on Pantoja thereafter; secondly, most athletes would endorse fighting until the referee steps in, anyway.
So, maybe Pantoja was just trying to create needle ahead of the rematch. In general, Van seems a young man with good intentions to back up his great fighting skills.
After a victory last June, he bought his mother a house. “When my dad passed away [in 2017], I became the man of the house,” Van said. “I’m the only son in the family, and I’m seeing my mum struggling. She’d give me her credit card so I could do whatever I wanted. It’s only right for me to give back. I’d always look at beautiful houses and turn to my friends and say: ‘One day, I’m buying that for my mum.’”
The current apex of the flyweight division is the house that Pantoja built. Whether or not you feel Van is renting that home, he now has the chance to secure the keys for good.
Editor’s note: A version of this article was published in December after Pantoja vs Van 1.
