On June 7th at UFC 316, Joshua Van (15-2) was getting ready to make the walk hoping he’d be able to break into the flyweight rankings. Van had won three fights in a row after suffering a setback against Charles Johnson last July. Van was ready to take that next step in his career and the 23-year-old wanted a number by his name.

Minutes after his UFC 317 win over Kai Kara-France, Pantoja (30-5 MMA, 14-3 UFC) was quite literally faced with his next opponent. Into the cage at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas walked Joshua Van, who defeated Brandon Royval in a thrilling title eliminator just one fight prior.

Alexandre Pantoja related his own journey to the one Joshua Van is embarking on as the former touts the skills of the latter ahead of what would seem like the