Joshua Van has the opportunity to start a new era in the UFC flyweight division this Saturday at UFC 323.
Van will challenge UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja at the UFC 323 co-main event in Las Vegas in a highly anticipated showdown. The fight is expected to deliver high-octane action, with two of the most exciting fighters on the roster.
Van’s meteoric rise to a title shot follows a similar playbook as Max Holloway during the latter’s featherweight rise. Comparisons between Holloway and Van have been presented by UFC fans and experts, who praised their exciting styles and skilled boxing in the Octagon.
The BMF titleholder seemed to accept the Van comparisons in recent comments.
Max Holloway embraces Joshua Van Comps ahead of UFC 323
In a recent outage YouTube channel, Holloway responded to comparisons between himself and the UFC 323 title challenger.
“I hear the comparisons,” Holloway said of Van.
“A lot of people say Joshua Van fights just like me. He likes to pepper, big pepper. I think he has some KO power though. I don’t know what you guys are talking about.” (h/t MMA junkie)
“Pantoja loves a gunfight. He doesn’t shy away from a fight, and I think Joshua Van is going to bring it,” Holloway said.
“I think this has Fight of the Night written all over it. Now that Pantoja has the championship experience, it will help him a lot here. I don’t know that much about Joshua’s wrestling.”
Van earned the title shot after defeating former title challenger Brandon Royval at UFC 317 earlier this year. If he is victorious this weekend, he will become the first UFC champion from Myanmar in the promotion’s history.
Meanwhile, Holloway hasn’t competed since defeating Dustin Poirier at UFC 318 earlier this year. After suffering a few injuries during the fight, Holloway plans to take an indefinite hiatus from competition in 2026.
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