Joshua Van Eyeing UFC Flyweight GOAT Status Ahead of UFC 331 Rematch Against Alexandre Pantoja

Joshua Van is eyeing a long reign as the UFC flyweight champion and has promised to defeat Alexandre Pantoja again.

Joshua Van Eyeing UFC Flyweight GOAT Status Ahead of UFC 331 Rematch Against Alexandre Pantoja

Joshua Van wants to claim flyweight GOAT status after defeating Alexandre Pantoja (Image via UFC.com/MMA Fighting)

The main event of UFC 331 will feature a rematch between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja for the flyweight title. Their first fight ended prematurely after the Brazilian suffered an injury in the first minute of the fight. Now, this weekend, both fighters get to settle their unfinished business.

Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson dominated the UFC flyweight division in the 2010s. Meanwhile, Pantoja has been the best 125-pound champion in the 2020s. Van is now looking to takeover the division and establish himself as a long-reigning champion.

Van faced Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328 and secured a TKO win in the fifth round. He has the striking skills and an improved grappling game to give Pantoja problems.

Though many see Demetrious Johnson as the flyweight GOAT, Van picked Alexandre Pantoja as the GOAT by citing his reasons. With that logic, Van claimed that he would become the GOAT of the division once he beat Pantoja twice.

There is no if, when I beat him (Pantoja), I am the greatest of all time in this flyweight division. He’s the best, that’s why I’m here man. I’m gonna beat you tomorrow. I beat you once already, I’m gonna beat you again tomorrow. I mean Saturday.

Joshua Van via UFC 331 pre-fight presser

Pantoja declared that he was ready for everything at UFC 331 in a casual tone. During an earlier press conference, the Brazilian almost came to blow with Van only for Dana White and the security team to intervene.

Many fans felt that Van triggered Pantoja into getting upset. However, this time, Pantoja kept his composure and didn’t resort with physical violence. The former champion recently revealed his composed mindset earlier in the week before rematching Van at UFC 331.

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Alexandre Pantoja reveals mentality ahead of UFC 331

Pantoja won the flyweight title in 2023 after earning a split-decision win over Brandon Moreno at UFC 290. After that, he defended the belt four times against the likes of Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, Kai Asakura and Kai Kara-France.

Joshua Van vs Alexandre Pantoja
Joshua Van vs Alexandre Pantoja (Image via UFC.com)

The Brazilian was eyeing a fifth title defense against Van at UFC 323. However, the sudden injury left him unable to compete and Van became the new champion. Since then, his rivalry with Van has intensified.

The Burmese-American fighter claimed that his victory over the former champion was no fluke. Moreover, Van tried to trigger Pantoja at the previous press conference. With bad blood boiling, Pantoja revealed that he was locked in and only thought about the rematch at UFC 331.

I don’t try to sell this anymore, I want to fight you know. I’m here at the fight week and I’m ready for Saturday you know…

Alexandre Pantoja told Full Send MMA

Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon are the only two fighters to win the flyweight title two times in UFC history. If Pantoja beats Van at UFC 331, the Brazilian will join that short but prestigious list of fighters who won the flyweight title twice.

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Joshua Van tried to trigger Alexandre Pantoja again during faceoff

The whole fight week has been about Joshua Van trying to win the mental warfare against Pantoja before the bout. Earlier in the week, the duo faced off against each other in front of Crypto.com Arena.

Alexandre Pantoja takes on Joshua Van in a rematch
Alexandre Pantoja and Joshua Van (via Yahoo Sports)

Before facing off, the champion kept smiling only for Pantoja to ask for some seriousness. The mind games continued at the pre-fight presser faceoff as well.

The video footage showed Van saying something to his opponent, and Pantoja hearing him out. One security official held Van to not escalate the situation.

Then, Van flexed his belt while posing for the cameras by coming in front of the former champion. By this time, UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby and the security were on high alert to prevent chaos.

Pantoja kept his composure like he said he would. He is only focused on Saturday to win back the title that he lost due to an untimely injury.

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