UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van is hoping that the promotion grants former champ Alexandre Pantoja a title rematch.
Van returns to the Octagon this Saturday night at UFC 328 when he battles Tatsuro Taira for the flyweight title. This fight was originally supposed to take place at UFC 327 last month in Miami, but it was moved to Newark after Van suffered a minor injury in training. Should Van win the bout, he already has his next opponent in mind: the same man he beat to take the belt last year, Pantoja.
Joshua Van Wants to Fight Alexandre Pantoja Again
Last December at UFC 323, Van got the chance to fight Pantoja for the UFC flyweight title. He won the fight via first-round TKO when Pantoja landed awkwardly and suffered an injury, forcing a stop to the fight. In MMA, when someone gets injured, the fight is ruled a technical knockout. It was a very unfortunate way for Pantoja to lose his title, but injuries are a part of the sport.
While Van did win that fight on paper, many fans still question the victory since it wasn’t definitive. Van is busy with Taira this weekend, but he is still hoping that the UFC gives him the chance to fight Pantoja in a rematch in the near future, as he believes the Brazilian deserves another shot at him.
“Facts. He dominated the division. It’s only right they give him the rematch. Yeah, I really hope me and him can run it back,” Van told MMAFighting.com.
While Van does have a rematch on his mind, he said that he is 100% focused on the task at hand, which is his title fight on Saturday night at UFC 328, when he battles the talented submission ace, Taira. Many fans still believe that Van is a paper champion because of how the fight with Pantoja went, but the Myanmar native isn’t paying attention to the naysayers, as he’s already moved on from it.
“That is over with. Right now, I’m just focusing on Taira. Like I said, me and Pantoja going to run it back anyways after this fight. I don’t think about that anymore,” Van said of the first fight with Pantoja.
Joshua Van is an Underdog Against Tatsuro Taira
According to the latest betting odds, Van is a +135 underdog against Taira, who is a -155 favorite, in tomorrow night’s title fight. These odds reflect what the general betting public thinks about this fight, as the bettors believe Taira will have the edge in the bout if it hits the ground.
While Van has shown solid takedown defense and a tremendous get-up game so far in his UFC career, Taira truly is another level when it comes to grappling. So if this fight does hit the mat, Taira is going to be at a massive advantage.
But if Van can keep the fight standing, then he’s going to have a legitimate chance to win, which is why the odds are still very competitive.
Van vs. Taira is being overshadowed by the UFC 328 main event grudge match between UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland. But this is a terrific title flyweight bout, and it could very well steal the show tomorrow night.
Joshua Van Wants UFC to Give Alexandre Pantoja a Rematch