21-year-old Joshua Van felt at home during UFC debut, wants to be most active fighter in promotion

Joshua Van impressed UFC fans when he stepped in on short notice and defeated Zhalgas Zhumagulov – at just 21 years old.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – [autotag]Joshua Van[/autotag] is only 21 and he’s already pocketed a win in the UFC.

At UFC on ABC 5, Van (8-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) won his short-notice promotional debut when he defeated Zhalgas Zhumagulov (14-9 MMA, 1-6 UFC) by split decision. The flyweight bout took place on Saturday’s prelims at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.

Van hasn’t been on the UFC roster for even a month. But when it came time to fight, Van was comfortable on the big stage under the bright lights.

“It felt like home,” Van told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “When I was on my way here, going to the locker room, I was a little nervous. But then after we got a little warmup, I felt at home, man.”

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Van didn’t have a callout prepared to ask for when the cameras turned to him post-fight. But that’s not due to lack of preparation, but rather disinterest in watching fights from a third-person perspective.

“I don’t really watch fights, so I don’t really know who I was fighting,” Van said. “I don’t know his name. Jon Jones? Yeah, yeah, yeah. … I watch my own fights. … I don’t know, man. Everybody has different styles, so I feel like if I focus on my style, my technique, I feel like I’ll be better off like that.”

In place of an opponent or venue pitch, Van laid out a goal. He wants to fight as often as possible going forward – more often than anyone else.

“I want to stay active, bro,” Van said. “I want to be the most active UFC fighter over here.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 5.

UFC on ABC 5 post-event facts: Ilia Topuria’s main event beatdown makes history

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ABC 5, where Ilia Topuria’s main event win was boosted by a rare achievement.

The UFC returned to Florida for the second time this year on Saturday with UFC on ABC 5, which took place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville and saw eight of 13 bouts go to a decision.

The main event was one of those bouts to go to the judges, but it was a clear result with [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) defeating [autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag] (18-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) in historic fashion in the form of a lopsided unanimous decision in the matchup between featherweight contenders.

For more on the numbers to come out of the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ABC 5.

UFC on ABC 5 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Neil Magny’s $21,000 tops card

UFC on ABC 5 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ABC 5 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $174,000.

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 on ABC 5 takes place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. The main card airs on ABC following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC on ABC 5 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Austen Lane[/autotag]: $4,000
vs. [autotag]Justin Tafa[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]David Onama[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Gabriel Santos[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Phil Rowe[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Wellington Turman[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Mateusz Rebecki[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Loik Radzhabov[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Tabatha Ricci[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Gillian Robertson[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Joshua Van[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Zhalgas Zhumagulov[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jose Mariscal[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Trevor Peek[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jack Jenkins[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jamall Emmers[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Sedriques Dumas[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag]: $6,000

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 2011 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 $40,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-40 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $3,964,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $18,553,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 5.

Joshua Van def. Zhalgas Zhumagulov at UFC on ABC 5: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Joshua Van’s split decision win over Zhalgas Zhumagulov at UFC on ABC 5 in Jacksonville.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Joshua Van[/autotag]’s split decision win over [autotag]Zhalgas Zhumagulov[/autotag] at UFC on ABC 5 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. (Photos by David Yeazell, USA TODAY Sports)

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (June 12-18)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by a promotion from June 12-18.

On the Doorstep: 5 fighters who could make UFC with December wins

For those who make it to the highest stage, the journey starts long before they strap on UFC or Bellator gloves.

Every champion in MMA history started out somewhere.

For those who make it to the highest stage, the journey begins long before they strap on UFC, Bellator, or PFL gloves. Modern-era fighters progress through the regional ranks with hopes of accomplishing the highest accolades. Many will try, few will succeed.

This month, five fighters on the verge of achieving major promotion notoriety – one for the second time – return to the cage for what could be their stepping-stone fight. There are dozens of fighters close to making the jump in the coming weeks, but these five are particularly exemplary.

  • A Brazilian-Canadian heavyweight hopes another win will regain him the UFC look he had but lost due to circumstances outside of his control.
  • A former Olympic wrestler from Mexico looks to secure an LFA title – and a UFC phone call shortly thereafter.
  • One of the best women’s prospects in North America wants to prove a point after a year on the shelf.
  • A rising 20-year-old Argentinian superstar aims to bring his record to 11-0 before 2022 comes to an end.
  • A Malaysian flyweight who lives in Texas has already made an impact, but a Fury FC title could be his ticket to an even more life-changing upgrade.

On the Doorstep: 5 fighters who could make UFC with November wins

For those who make it to the highest stage, the journey starts long before they strap on UFC or Bellator gloves.

Every champion in MMA history started out somewhere.

For those who make it to the highest stage, the journey begins long before they strap on UFC, Bellator, or PFL gloves. Modern-era fighters progress through the regional ranks with hopes of accomplishing the highest accolades. Many will try, few will succeed.

This month, five fighters on the verge of achieving major promotion notoriety – one for the second time – return to the cage for what could be their stepping-stone fight. There are dozens of fighters close to making the jump in the coming weeks, but these five are particularly exemplary.

  • A seasoned veteran of the United Kingdom’s MMA scene is rolling – and thinks one more win for Cage Warriors could be a pivotal one in his career.
  • A Cage Warriors champion and one of the current faces of the promotion thinks a rematch against a top-tier fighter he beat years ago should do the trick in getting him a UFC call-up.
  • A 21-year-old representative of Myanmar knows he’s young, but thinks he’s nearing the point where the UFC will give him a look.
  • Dubbed by many as the future of MMA in the midwest, a 21-year-old super prospect looks to keep the good results rolling and continue his destiny toward international notoriety.
  • After a DWCS opportunity fell through in 2020, a Titan FC champion thinks one more title fight win will get him another UFC look.