Joshua Van Dismisses ‘Fluke Win’ Over Alexandre Pantoja Ahead of UFC 328 with Black Belt Logic

UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van won the title after Alexandre Pantoja dislocated his elbow in their bout at UFC 323. Many labelled the entire ordeal as a freak accident, chalking Van’s win up to a fluke. However, the flyweight champion believes it wasn’t an accident that caused Pantoja to lose his title.

Van won the fight at UFC 323 in less than a minute. He caught a kick thrown by Alexandre Pantoja and rushed forward, pushing and disbalancing the then-champion, who was standing on one leg. The Brazilian extended his arm to break his fall, but landed awkwardly, which led him to dislocate his elbow.

Once it was clear that Pantoja would be unable to continue, Van became the youngest flyweight champion in UFC history. The Burmese-American flyweight recently spoke to the UFC’s social media team about the manner in which he won the title. Not only did Van dismiss the idea of his title win being a fluke, but he also claimed responsibility for injuring the former flyweight champion.

I expected a tough fight because Pantoja is very, very aggressive, you know? He kicked me. I knew right there, and then, I was like ‘I am not going to get kicked again.’ So, he tried to kick me a second time, I push him, and that’s when he broke his arm. I didn’t think it was an accident. I made it happen. He kicked me, I pushed him. I think a black belt should know how to fall.

Joshua Van via the UFC’s social media team

Joshua Van doesn't see Alexandre Pantoja's injury as a fluke, and believes he caused it:

"I didn't think it was an accident, I made it happen. He kicked me, I pushed him. I think a black belt should know how to fall." 😬pic.twitter.com/ONuwulCjbp

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 3, 2026

This weekend at UFC 328, Joshua Van has the opportunity to put all this behind him by successfully defending his flyweight title. Van is scheduled to fight Tatsuro Taira in the co-main event after their bout, originally scheduled for UFC 327, was cancelled. The 24-year-old suffered a minor injury, which caused the bout to be rebooked for the next pay-per-view.

However, the former flyweight champion, Alexandre Pantoja, alleges that the flyweight title picture could have looked entirely different even after his injury at UFC 323. The Brazilian recently revealed that he could have returned from his injury much earlier than expected.

Alexandre Pantoja reveals he offered to fight Joshua Van at UFC 327

The injury suffered by Alexandre Pantoja against Joshua Van looked horrific, even if some fans and Dominick Cruz believed he could have continued. The injury abruptly ended his dominant title reign, and it appeared as if the Brazilian would be out for a long time. However, his camp insisted that he would make a swift return for an immediate rematch against Van.

Ultimately, that did not end up transpiring as the UFC booked Tatsuro Taira to fight Joshua Van for the title at UFC 327, before postponing it. But recently, the ‘Cannibal’ revealed to Ariel Helwani that he was ready to go for the April date. However, the UFC chose to book Van against Taira instead.

The UFC asked me about the fight, but if I can remember, it was the last days of January. In that time, two months ago, I said, ‘No, maybe I can fight in June.’ But after that, after one month, February, March, beginning of March, I think I’m ready to fight. If the guys asked me, maybe I’m ready to fight in Miami.

Alexandre Pantoja via the Ariel Helwani Show

The Brazilian former champion then acknowledged that this upcoming fight against Tatsuro Taira was Joshua Van’s opportunity to prove his legitimacy as a champion. Moreover, he revealed that he held no ill feelings towards the current flyweight champion. Pantoja called the finish from UFC 323 Van’s destiny, but also emphasized that it was the only way Van could have beaten him.

Pantoja had been teasing a superfight with Merab Dvalishvili before losing the title. For a while now, the Brazilian had wanted a higher berth within the UFC. However, the freak loss to Van derailed those plans. Now, he will need to wait till this weekend’s events play out to know who he may be facing upon his UFC return.

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