Joshua Van proud to have ‘proof that I am a world champion’ after title defense

Joshua Van silenced the doubters at UFC 328. |
Getty/UFC

For some, Joshua Van’s
injury-shortened victory over Alexandre
Pantoja last December was always going to be accompanied by an
asterisk.

After all, the flyweight title fight barely had a chance to unfold
before Pantoja suffered an arm injury 26 seconds into Round 1 at

UFC 323. While Van celebrated becoming a champion, he still had
something to prove heading into his first title defense against
Tatsuro
Taira at UFC 328
on Saturday. Van delivered in that regard, weathering some early
adversity en route to a fifth-round technical knockout victory over
the Japanese standout in the evening’s co-headliner at the
Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

“I feel great. I think I have proof that I am a world champion, you
know,” Van said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “Shout out
to [Taira], nothing but respect to him. He’s a tough
motherf—er.

While Taira was able to impose his will on the ground in the early
going, Van kept his composure and gradually took control through
his superior striking. That culminated in one final barrage to put
his Japanese adversary away at the 1:32 mark of Round 5.

“I know that he’s a good grappler,” Van said. “But this is an MMA
fight, this is not a jiu-jitsu match. I know my my striking would
stand out, and that’s what you [saw] tonight.”

A Rematch Looms Large

Pantoja, who has been recovering from the aforementioned arm injury
suffered against Van, was in attendance at UFC 328. All signs are
pointing toward a rematch between Van and the Brazilian. That’s
what Van was expecting all along, but he also wanted to stay active
rather than wait for “The Cannibal” make his return.

“I thought it was gonna be Pantoja,” Van said. “But like I said, I
wasn’t gonna wait for him, for forever, so now they gave me Tatsuro
and we got it done. So now — Pantoja time.”