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Joshua Van’s dominant rise through the UFC flyweight division continues to earn praise from some of the biggest names in mixed martial arts.
The 24-year-old retained his flyweight title by defeating Alexandre Pantoja for the second time in the main event of UFC 331 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The victory improved Van’s professional record to 18-2, including an impressive 11-1 run in the UFC.
Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley believes Van is destined to become the greatest flyweight in the promotion’s history — and potentially one of the best pound-for-pound fighters of all time.
O’Malley Predicts Historic Future for Van
“Joshua Van’s got to be one of my favorite guys to watch right now,” O’Malley said on his YouTube channel.
“He’s going to go down as the greatest flyweight of all time. He’s going to go down as possibly one of the best fighters, pound-for-pound, of all time.
“He’s 24 years old, and he just beat a very dangerous Pantoja, who was a little emotional, a little chaotic, a little crazy, but he doesn’t gas out because he keeps the same pressure. He does that in a lot of his fights. That was such an exciting fight.”
O’Malley is not the only prominent fighter impressed by Van’s rapid ascent. Jorge Masvidal recently suggested that the reigning champion could be just one more victory away from surpassing Demetrious Johnson as the greatest flyweight of all time, although Johnson’s extensive résumé remains difficult to match.
Manel Kape Could Be Van’s Next Challenger
Van is expected to defend his championship against Manel Kape, whose finishing ability has established him as one of the division’s most dangerous contenders.
The champion has already survived demanding title fights against Tatsuro Taira and Pantoja. Although O’Malley believes Kape is capable of testing Van, he doubts the potential challenger will be able to dethrone him.
“I don’t think many people are going to give him a war,” O’Malley said. “Tatsuro Taira gave him a war, Pantoja gave him a war. Manel Kape, is he next? I guess he’s capable of giving him a war like that.
“Is that fun? Is that exciting? Is that cool? That is exciting. That’s a fun flyweight title fight. I think it’s going to be hard to beat Van because his boxing is so slick.”
Van’s Boxing Makes Him Difficult to Beat
Van’s technical boxing, relentless pressure and ability to maintain a high pace have helped him emerge as the leading force in the flyweight division.
His latest victory over Pantoja only strengthened the belief that he could dominate the weight class for years. A title defense against Kape would give Van another opportunity to enhance his legacy and move closer to the lofty expectations set by O’Malley and Masvidal.
