Joshua Van fires back at criticism of UFC title shot: ‘What am I supposed to do? Wait around just because I’m young?’

Joshua Van already heard the narrative “too much, too soon” when he accepted a short-notice fight against Brandon Royval back in June.

When he accepted the offer, Van was barely a day removed from a win over Bruno Silva at UFC 316, but he didn’t blink when the promotion came calling with a fight against Royval barely three weeks later after Royval’s original opponent Manel Kape dropped off the card. At the time, Van was praised for his willingness to step up and save a marquee fight and it was expected he could make it a good show even if he was unlikely to actually win.

Van proved everybody wrong by putting on a potential Fight of the Year and winning a decision over Royval, which cemented Van as the new No. 1 contender at flyweight with his next fight booked against reigning champion Alexandre Pantoja on Saturday at UFC 323. Of course, Van has once again heard the noise that he’s not ready for this opportunity but to hear him tell it, he would have taken this fight much sooner if it was offered to him.

“The same thing they said with the Royval fight — he’s too young, they’re rushing him, this and that,” Van told MMA Fighting. “But come on, I’ve got like nine fights in the UFC. What am I supposed to do? Wait around just because I’m young?

“I want to fight for the belt. I want to fight the champion. I don’t think they’re rushing me. If I get my way, I [would have fought] for the title years ago. I think this is the perfect timing mentally, physically, I’m well prepared right now.”

Van enters the fight as an underdog, but that’s nothing new to him either.

He understands that’s just part of the game and Van promises he’s approaching this title fight with the same swagger and confidence that got him this opportunity in the first place. Van has a lot of respect for Pantoja, but he also wasn’t sitting around obsessing over the matchup before it got made.

“Pantoja, I never thought about him even after that I knew I’m getting that fight,” Van said. “Now that we’re in fight camp, I started watching him. I’m the type of guy that’s like take one fight at a time. I don’t want to focus on everybody else and things like that.

“I don’t know even half the division. I don’t even know the names of the half of the people in my division. I fight this guy so I’m watching this guy type of things. Right now the focus is on Pantoja.”

With four title defenses already on his résumé, Pantoja has established himself as not only the best flyweight in the sport currently but he’s started earning recognition as perhaps one of the top 125-pound fighters in history alongside former UFC champion Demetrious Johnson.

Pantoja has rattled off eight wins in a row overall with four of those ending by submission, so he’s definitely earned the praise he’s received. None of that matters much to Van.

In fact, Van argues that past opponents holding Pantoja in such high regard probably played a part in their downfall — a mistake he promises not to make.

“When they fought Pantoja, a lot of people give him too much respect,” Van said. “Even Kai [Kara-France], I don’t think he fought the same way he usually fights. Pantoja, he didn’t even have to try too hard to take him down because Kai was just backing up, backing up, and usually when you’re backing up against a wrestler, you get taken down. If Kai would have fought the way he usually fights, he could have done so much better.

“That’s what me and my team talk about, too. The main thing is just be myself come fight day because nobody fights like Joshua Van. I don’t fight like nobody else, too. That’s going to be something different.”

Van understands the dangers Pantoja represents and he’s not ignoring that possibility that this fight could test him in ways he’s never been tested before, especially when it comes to his opponent’s durability.

“He’s good. He’s very, very good,” Van said about Pantoja. “He’s not a technical guy but he’s a dog. He’s bringing that fight no matter [what]. It don’t matter how bad you f*ck him up, he’s always trying to come back and give you that dog fight. I feel like a lot of people crumble because of that.

“You can hit him as hard as you can but he will always come back. Sometimes that type of shit breaks guys. He’s a dog.”

If Van can get the job done, he’ll be the first person to hand Pantoja a defeat in over five years and he’ll become champion just 10 fights into his UFC career. It’s a lot of pressure and expectation to heap on the shoulders of a 24-year-old fighter, who arguably hasn’t even reached his athletic prime, but Van knows he’s ready for his life to change after UFC 323.

“I’m going to be a whole different Josh. I’m going to wear sunglasses everywhere. I’m going to act like a superstar,” Van joked. “No, I’m playing with you. I haven’t thought about it. Right now I’m just thinking about the fight Dec. 6. It’s going to be a great fight.

“I just like to keep the same people around me. I don’t think I’ll be any different just because of the belt.”