Latest news with #JoshuaVan
Yahoo
11-07-2025
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BKFC champ John Dodson thinks he could KO UFC champ Alexandre Pantoja if he returned
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – John Dodson may be at that magical sports (and life) age at which it's presumed a slow-down happens. But that doesn't mean the 40-year-old has to play by the unwritten rule that he should consider his best days behind him. In fact, the former UFC flyweight title challenger, who has been BKFC's 125-pound champ for nearly two years, thinks he could head back to his old home and take out the current highly dominant champion. Advertisement Dodson (24-15 MMA) went 10-7 in the UFC and lost two title shots against Demetrious Johnson. But he told MMA Junkie at BKFC's champions showcase in South Florida on Thursday that his power would be a problem for flyweight titleholder Alexandre Pantoja. Pantoja (30-5 MMA, 14-3 UFC) in late June submitted Kai Kara-France for his fourth straight title defense. Immediately after, Joshua Van (14-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) was brought into the cage – just moments after his own big win – to be Pantoja's next challenger. "I can knock out Pantoja. And that Joshua Van guy, I can guarantee you (I can beat)," Dodson told MMA Junkie. "You want to talk about someone who has incredible knockout power? My Filipino power can beat his Filipino power." Van actually is from Myanmar and is Burmese-American, not Filipino. Dodson is half-Filipino. But his point shouldn't be lost: There's power he's finding these days. Advertisement That may lend itself to the bareknuckle format. His first three wins in the sport were first-round knockouts. That's in stark contrast to his MMA fights the past 10 years. Between the UFC, XMMA after he left, and the past 2.5 years in RIZIN, Dodson fights have gone the distance 82 percent of the time. That explains his thinking that bareknuckle is his preferred combat sports format now. "I love bareknuckle (the most) because it's short – it's a very fast pace. I can go ahead and hunt you down and keep on dropping you every chance I get," he said. But would he go back to the UFC if he had the chance? If it meant a possibility to get a crack at the champ, he wouldn't rule it out. Advertisement "That door can always be reopened," Dodson said. "I've just got to go ahead and secure my victories with dominant performances in BKFC, and also go back to Japan and go settle up out there (for RIZIN), too." This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: BKFC's John Dodson: I'd knock out UFC champion Alexandre Pantoja
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Sport
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Joshua Van vows to show 'no respect at all' for UFC champ Alexandre Pantoja in expected title fight
Joshua Van continues to gain momentum like it's going out of style. The new No. 1-ranked UFC flyweight contender has emerged seemingly overnight as one of MMA's biggest breakout stars of 2025. Van's current five-fight win streak began this past September, however none of the five were more resounding than his latest — the 23-year-old went to war with one-time title challenger Brandon Royval at UFC 317, won a unanimous decision, seized the baton as the Fight of the Year frontrunner and positioned himself as the next challenger to UFC champion Alexandre Pantoja. Advertisement Despite the vast difference in experience between himself and Uncrowned's No. 4 pound-for-pound fighter in the world Pantoja, Van is exceedingly confident in his abilities ahead of the massive opportunity. "There's no one like me," Van said on Monday's edition of "The Ariel Helwani Show." "The fighting style that I bring, the no respect — I don't give respect to nobody in that cage. I respect [Pantoja] as a man, I respect what he's done in our division. But when we fight, there's no respect at all. "You know how a lot of people say that, 'He's good at this, he's the next level,' this and that? Look at Royval. When they said, 'Oh, his pressure's going to be too much' — I didn't give him no respect when he was pressuring me. I don't give no respect. I stay calm, I'll do my thing. It's going to be the same thing [against Pantoja]. I'm not going to let him do his thing. And I feel like a lot of people, because they know that his grappling is so much, that they're so scared of him taking them down, that they end up getting taken down." Advertisement UFC 317 set the stage perfectly for the top of the flyweight division with an unofficial tournament of sorts. Van's clash against Royval directly preceded Pantoja's latest title defense over Kai Kara-France. Like Van, the champion also performed brilliantly, finishing Kara-France with a third-round rear-naked choke to notch his fourth consecutive defense of the 125-pound belt. It was all a new experience for the surging Van, who stuck around inside Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena after his own big moment against Royval. "It was a good fight, but my head wasn't all there," Van said of his experience sitting cageside for Pantoja's win. "I was so excited to be there. You gotta remember, I never go to UFC events. I think that was probably my second time. ... For me to sit at the front row, my head wasn't there. "When I walked in the cage, I didn't even know what to do. Joe Rogan asked me a question and I thought we were done. Shout out to the champ, man — he was like, 'Hey, we gotta do the faceoff.' I forgot about the faceoff! I thought after [Rogan] interviews me, we were done." Advertisement Considering his youth, Van has already put together a wildly impressive career. Of his current five-fight stretch of victories, all occurred on numbered UFC pay-per-view events. Now if he can pull off the upset against Pantoja, Van will become one of the youngest champions in promotional history, falling just shy of topping Jon Jones' record set at age 23 against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in 2011. Though he's yet to fight a full five rounds in MMA, Van nonetheless has championship experience, having previously won the Fury FC flyweight title in 2023. That fight punched Van's ticket to the UFC, and nine fights later, he feels well-prepared to overthrow one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on Earth. "I'm about to take that belt. [UFC 317] showed that I'm confident, I'm ready to take him on," Van said. "I don't really care about the faceoff. People want to look hard when they face off. I'm like, 'Man, come on. We're going to fight in the cage.' "He's a great champion, but he's never fought Joshua Van."
Yahoo
06-07-2025
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RJ Davis with the great assist!
Joshua Van empowered by nation of Myanmar every time he steps into the octagon Joshua Van empowered by nation of Myanmar every time he steps into the octagon
Yahoo
06-07-2025
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Darius Bazley rises to block the shot
Joshua Van empowered by nation of Myanmar every time he steps into the octagon Joshua Van empowered by nation of Myanmar every time he steps into the octagon
Yahoo
05-07-2025
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Vladislav Goldin throws it down!
Joshua Van empowered by nation of Myanmar every time he steps into the octagon Joshua Van empowered by nation of Myanmar every time he steps into the octagon
