Alexandre Pantoja is in Joshua Van's sights again, and this time, there's a bit more edge to it.
Joshua Van's UFC 328 performance left little doubt about who sits at the top of the flyweight division. In front of a loud Newark crowd, he stopped Tatsuro Taira in the fifth round.
It was his first title defence and extended his winning streak to seven fights, which only strengthened his grip on the 125-pound belt.
The Burmese champion is expected to face Pantoja next. There are some words exchanged between them, which could add a bit more heat to their rematch.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Pantoja lost the flyweight title to Van in December at UFC 323, after an early injury cut short his time on top of the division. Just 26 seconds into their fight in Las Vegas, Pantoja dislocated his elbow following a push from Van.
Some dismissed Van's win as little more than luck. The 24-year-old pushed back against that narrative, saying he was responsible for how it played out.
Still, he's not happy with how he's been portrayed since then and believes the former champion is feeding into that storyline.
"I saw him and shook his hand, I don't have a problem," Van told Full Send MMA backstage at UFC 328, where Pantoja was also present.
"But I don't like him making it seem like I'm the bad guy. We fought and you fell and broke your arm," he said. Before the injury last December, Pantoja had just defended his title by submitting Kai Kara-France in June 2025 – his fourth defence overall.
Pantoja has been linked with greats like Demetrious Johnson. Now he'll be aiming to reclaim his place at the top of the division later this year by evening up things with Van.
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