Tag: Joshua Van

Cancellations soured Joshua Van before Charles Johnson stepped up: ‘I love everything he stands for’

Joshua Van had just about had it after four straight cancellations – but that’s when Charles Johnson raised his hand.

[autotag]Joshua Van[/autotag] proudly wore designation of one of the UFC’s most active fighters as 2023 turned into 2024 and he fell into a half-year of inactivity.

The break in the action wasn’t because Van (10-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) called timeout, which frustrates him even now that he has a fight on the books for Saturday at UFC on ESPN 59 in Denver.

“I’m just happy to have a fight,” Van recently told MMA Junkie. “It’s been six months that I haven’t fought. I’m just excited to get back. Hopefully this one goes through.”

In April, opponent Lucas Rocha pulled out to due to injury. Van was then booked for June 1 vs. Tatsuro Taira, but the promotion split the matchup and rebooked the fighters against different opponents for June 15.

On June 14, Van weighed in and made weight, but opponent Tagir Ulanbekov missed by 3.5 pounds and the fight was scrapped. Going through the entire process without a fight, Van lost his taste for fighting for a little while, he admitted.

“This is kind of getting annoying,” Van said. “I got to the point where I didn’t even want to train and sh*t like that. When I came back from Vegas two or three weeks ago, I didn’t even want to train, man. I just stayed at home for a week, a week and half. After that, that’s when my manager called me and I went back to training and sh*t like that. This thing is getting annoying.”

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Van’s coaches, teammates, and mother helped him eventually bring his motivation back. That’s when the phone rang. It was his manager Jason House. While the process from there was up and down, eventually Van found a willing combatant: [autotag]Charles Johnson[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 4-4 UFC).

“I got his name a day before I signed the contract,” Van said. “I said, ‘Yes, I want to fight him.’ Then, my manager called me a couple hours later and they gave me a different name. It was a better matchup. Not just a better matchup, but it was a better opportunity. I said, ‘I’d fight that guy.’ It turns out that guy doesn’t want to fight me. The next day, I think I sent Jason (House) a screenshot like, ‘I think Johnson wants to fight me. Why don’t we fight him?’ And he’s like, ‘All right, I’ll work on it.’ The next day, he sent me a contract.”

In a world where it’s “cool” to talk trash to your opponent, Van has nothing but respect and admiration for Johnson, the lone man willing to step up at this moment in time.

“I love it, I love it,” Van said. “I love everything he stands for. Like I said, he stepped up. A lot of people don’t want to fight me short notice. I know we’re both short notice, but he stepped up. Much respect to him. His style his crafty. Come fight day, it’s going to be who’s prepared more and stuff like that. I’m very, very excited for this one.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 59.

Joshua Van relieved to make it to UFC on ESPN 58 fight week after several bout cancellations

UFC flyweight prospect Joshua Van is stoked to finally make it to a UFC fighting week without his bout getting canceled.

It’s UFC on ESPN 58 and [autotag]Joshua Van[/autotag] can’t help but feel a sense of relief that it’s finally here.

The UFC flyweight prospect has been wanting to get his second fight in for 2024, but has been unable to. After stopping Felipe Bunes in January, Van (10-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has been booked three different times and has seen all three bouts get canceled. He was supposed to fight Lucas Rocha in April, then Sumudaerji to get switched to Tatsuro Taira for UFC 302 in June.

It looks like the fourth time is the charm, as he’s fighting Tagir Ulanbekov (15-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) this Saturday in Las Vegas.

“I’m just excited that I get to fight,” Van told MMA Junkie. “The last couple of months have been canceled fights and stuff like that, or my opponents pull out or whatever. I’m just excited to be here in fight week, finally. I’m very, very excited.”

The 22-year-old Van admits it’s been tough to not be active and has felt frustrated throughout this process.

“Shout out to my coaches because there was a point in time I didn’t even want to train, man,” Van said. “It’s just because they kept canceling fights and sh*t like that, so shout out to my coaches for keeping me grinding every day.”

Ulanbekov is currently in the official top 15 rankings of the UFC’s flyweight division. Van is happy to be getting a notable opponent and expects a tough test on Saturday.

“He’s a tough fighter and a good wrestler,” Van said. “His striking is there, but his main thing is his wrestling. Come Fight Night, we’ll be ready for him.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 58.

Tatsuro Taira fills UFC 302 opening, fights Joshua Van

Two of the UFC’s most promising flyweights, Tatsuro Taira and Joshua Van will collide in Newark.

Two of the UFC flyweight division’s most promising rising fighters will collide this June.

With [autotag]Su Mudaerji[/autotag] out of UFC 302, [autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag] has signed on to fight [autotag]Joshua Van[/autotag] at the June 1 event at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

The matchup was announced Thursday by Iridium Sports Agency, which manages both fighters.

Taira (15-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) has passed each test he’s had in the promotion with flying colors. With three finishes in five promotional appearances, Japan’s Taira rides high off a TKO victory over Carlos Hernandez in December.

Van (10-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) went 3-0 in his first seven months with the UFC as he accumulated wins over Zhalgas Zhumagulov, Kevin Borjas, and Felipe Bunes. He was scheduled to fight Lucas Rocha in April, but was removed from the card when his opponent withdrew.

With the addition, the UFC 302 lineup includes:

  • Champion Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier – for lightweight title
  • Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa – five-round co-main event
  • Roman Dolidze vs. Anthony Hernandez
  • Su Mudaerji vs. Tatsuro Taira
  • Jailton Almeida vs. Alexandr Romanov
  • Joselyne Edwards vs. Ailin Perez
  • Mickey Gall vs. Bassil Hafez
  • Grant Dawson vs. Joe Solecki
  • Jake Matthews vs. Phil Rowe
  • Andre Lima vs. Hyun Sung Park
  • Niko Price vs. Jeremiah Wells
  • Cesar Almeida vs. Roman Kopylov

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Jan. 16: Mario Bautista makes notable climb

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC Fight Night 234 in Las Vegas.

The first UFC event of 2024 is in the books and while there weren’t a ton of contender fights featured, the card proved impactful for one bantamweight.

At UFC Fight Night 234, [autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag] defeated Ricky Simon by unanimous decision for arguably the biggest victory of his professional career. In doing so, he elevates to No. 11 in the USA Today Sports/MMA Junkie bantamweight rankings.

UFC flyweight [autotag]Joshua Van[/autotag] also enters the USA Today Sports/MMA Junkie flyweight rankings rankings as an honorable mention for the first time, thanks to his impressive TKO victory over LFA flyweight champion Felipe Bunes in the event’s curtain-jerker.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

Joshua Van plots ambitious path that includes becoming first UFC champ from Myanmar

Joshua Van won for the eighth straight time and got his first finish in the UFC at UFC Fight Night 234. Now he’s eyeing a quick ascension.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Joshua Van[/autotag] beat Felipe Bunes with a second-round TKO Saturday to open up the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 234 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Van, who won for the eighth straight time and got his first finish in the UFC.

5 biggest takeaways from UFC Fight Night 234: Is Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev a suitable UFC 300 headliner?

Analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC Fight Night 234, including a potential Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev title fight.

What mattered most at UFC Fight Night 234 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …

UFC Fight Night 234 post-event facts: Jim Miller adds more records to epic resume

Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 234, which saw Jim Miller grow his all-time wins record and add more history to his resume.

The UFC returned from its holiday hiatus on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and although it wasn’t the most stacked lineup, UFC Fight Night 234 delivered seven stoppage results out of 11 bouts.

In the main event, Magomed Ankalaev (19-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) produced definitive closure on his rivalry with Johnny Walker (21-8 MMA, 7-5 UFC), scoring a second-round knockout in their light heavyweight rematch to potentially set himself up for a championship opportunity.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 234.

UFC Fight Night 234 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Jim Miller, Andrei Arlovski get max non-title payouts

UFC Fight Night 234 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 234 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $159,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC Fight Night 234 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 234 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Johnny Walker[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Gabriel Benitez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Brunno Ferreira[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Phil Hawes[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Waldo Cortes-Acosta[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Preston Parsons[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Matthew Semelsberger[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Marcus McGhee[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Gaston Bolanos[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Farid Basharat[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Taylor Lapilus[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jean Silva[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Westin Wilson[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Nikolas Motta[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Tom Nolan[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Joshua Van[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Felipe Bunes[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2341 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

  • “UFC Fight Night 234: Ankalaev vs. Walker 2” – $159,500

Year-to-date total: $159,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $22,866,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 234.

UFC Fight Night 234 video: 22-year-old Joshua Van overcomes slow start for TKO of Felipe Bunes

22-year-old Joshua Van continues to show great promise after stopping Felipe Bunes by second-round TKO at UFC Fight Night 234.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Joshua Van[/autotag] overcame another slow start at UFC Fight Night 234 to secure the stoppage against [autotag]Felipe Bunes[/autotag].

After a rather uneventful opening round of the flyweight bout at the UFC Apex, which marked the first UFC fight of 2024, Van (10-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) started putting together slick combinations to the head and body that started to ware on Bunes (13-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC).

A flurry of punches and knees led to the knockdown, then Van pounded on Bunes until referee Mark Smith had seen enough and called it off for a TKO at the 4:31 mark of Round 2. Check out a replay of the final sequence below (via X):

At 22 and with only a little more than two years of experience, Van continues to show he has a bright future in the sport and 125-pound weight class, especially considering he took the fight on short notice.

“We knew he was going to be tough in the first round,” Van told Michael Bisping in his post-fight interview. “The second round we got it done. We stuck to the game plan in the second round and got it done.”

Van has landed 100 or more significant strike in all three of his UFC wins to date. He’s been busy in the cage, and said he wants to keep it up with a loaded 2024.

“I want to stay active this year,” Van said. “I want to fight at least four to six fights this year. Dana White, please give me a fight. I want to fight next week. Let’s go.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 234.

UFC Fight Night 234 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC Fight Night 234 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.

LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 234 took place Saturday with 11 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

You can hear from all the UFC Fight Night 234 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 234.