Ougikubo had said during this recent fight that he wanted the public to see the Rizin flyweight Grand Prix champion as someone who could beat the UFC champion. Contextualizing that with his previous victory over ex-UFC champion Alexandre Pantoja from years ago on The Ultimate Fighter, Ougikubo said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“So if for some crazy reason this is allowed, like you said, I want to fight Joshua Van if possible. But you know, that’s obviously a very difficult hurdle. So I think there are still a lot of flyweights that are not in the UFC but still have potential and are very, very strong, you know. So I would like to continue fighting those guys in Rizin and continue to prove that Rizin has the best flyweights and this is where the competition is.”
While the idea of a cross-promotional fight with the UFC seems extremely unlikely, Ougikubo explained when breaking down how that clash with Van could hypothetically play out. [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“So obviously Joshua Van is a very hard striker with heavy hands, you know. He likes to use his hands. So if this fight were to happen, I would definitely play to his strengths and strengths, along with mixing my strengths. Ultimately, take him out and go for the finish.”
Joshua Van now has his next UFC title fight scheduled
Joshua Van is set to defend his UFC title for the first time, but it won’t be against the man he claimed it from. Many felt that Alexandre Pantoja would get an immediate rematch given his dominant reign with the title, but also the injury-related loss that saw him drop the title to Van. But a rising Japanese competitor will take the next chance at gold.
Tatsuro Taira will battle Van for the flyweight crown on April 11 at UFC 327. The 24-year-old is aiming to write his first title defense over the third-ranked contender with eight UFC-specific wins, with Taira picking up a win over former UFC champion Brandon Moreno.
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