Joshua Van

Van's first flyweight-title defence turned into a momentum swing over five rounds. Taira controlled the early portions with takedowns and top pressure, but Van's striking gradually took over before a body attack and follow-up punches forced the fifth-round stoppage.

Key moments

• Taira banked the early fight with repeated takedowns and long stretches of top control.
• Van dropped Taira with a right hand late in round two and started to flip the fight's rhythm.
• By the third and fourth rounds, Van was landing jabs, right hands, and knees as Taira's shots became easier to read.
• The finish came at 1:32 of round five after Van hurt Taira to the body, opened up along the fence, and secured the TKO in a Fight of the Night performance.

Van won the UFC flyweight title in a fight that ended almost immediately and in bizarre fashion. After catching a kick, he watched Pantoja suffer a gruesome arm injury on the fall, and the bout was waved off 26 seconds into round one.

Key moments

• Van caught Pantoja's kick in the opening exchange.
• Pantoja's arm gave way as he tried to brace his fall to the canvas.
• The referee stopped the fight at 0:26 of round one once the injury was obvious.
• The abrupt result made Van the new flyweight champion and the youngest title-holder in the division.

Van outlasted Royval in a frantic three-round war that quickly became a fight-of-the-year contender. His cleaner counters and late damage edged a bout in which both men kept throwing at a near-unsustainable pace for the full 15 minutes.

Key moments

• Van and Royval combined for a record 419 significant strikes in a three-round UFC fight.
• Van repeatedly found Royval with clean left hooks and right hands in open exchanges.
• Royval's volume kept the fight razor-close through the middle stretch, but Van kept answering with the sharper punches.
• Van badly hurt Royval late in round three and closed strong enough to seal the unanimous decision and Fight of the Night.

Van broke Bruno Silva down over three rounds with speed, volume, and cleaner counters. A huge second round left Silva surviving rather than solving the puzzle, and Van's pressure in round three eventually produced the late stoppage.

Key moments

• Van's jab and counter punching repeatedly beat Silva to the target in the second round.
• He knocked Silva down, swarmed with ground-and-pound, then dropped him again with a knee before the round ended.
• Silva tried to rally with body kicks and desperation offense in round three, but Van never gave him room to reset.
• The fight ended at 4:01 of the third after Van forced a final knockdown and stayed on the finish.

Van neutralized the unbeaten Tsuruya with takedown defence and the sharper stand-up over three rounds. It was a composed performance against a strong wrestling prospect, with Van winning the striking exchanges and sweeping the cards 30-27.

Key moments

• Tsuruya entered undefeated and with a clear grappling-first game plan.
• Van's takedown defence kept long control sequences from ever developing.
• He consistently landed the cleaner punches and forced Tsuruya to fight at kickboxing range.
• All three judges scored the bout 30-27 for Van.

Van had to solve Durden's wrestling and pace before taking over the final 10 minutes. Durden secured repeated takedowns early, but Van's jab, uppercuts, and volume striking steadily flipped the fight, and he closed hard enough to earn a unanimous decision on scores of 29-28, 30-26, and 30-27.

Key moments

• Durden banked much of round one with takedowns and fence control, even as Van landed elbows and a few sharp counters.
• Van's uppercuts and multi-punch combinations started taking over in round two as Durden's offense slowed.
• By the late rounds, Van was defending shots more cleanly and landing first and last in prolonged exchanges.
• All three judges gave Van the decision after 15 minutes, with scorecards of 29-28, 30-26, and 30-27.

Van survived a chaotic, high-damage fight with Chairez inside the Sphere and won all three cards 29-28. Chairez's kicking game and right hand hurt him early, but Van answered with savage body work in round two and then sealed the bout with takedowns and top control in the third.

Key moments

• Chairez chopped at Van's lead leg in round one and dropped him late with a straight right.
• Van turned round two into a brawl, badly hurt Chairez to the body, then escaped a tight guillotine after getting rocked himself.
• In round three, Van mixed body shots with a late takedown and heavy top pressure to close the fight.
• The official cards were 29-28 across the board for Van after one of the wildest prelim fights on the card.

Van was in control for much of the fight before Johnson detonated a comeback knockout 20 seconds into round three. Van's pressure and heavier hands appeared to carry the first two rounds, but Johnson stayed active enough to hang around and then landed the uppercut that changed everything.

Key moments

• Johnson bothered Van early with low kicks and activity, but Van rallied late in round one and knocked him off his feet.
• Van's pressure, uppercuts, and right hands drove most of the action in round two, and Sherdog's round scorers had him up 20-18.
• Johnson opened the third by landing clean rights and then walked Van into a thunderous uppercut.
• The knockout came at 0:20 of round three, handing Van his first UFC loss.

Van opened 2024 by weathering a difficult first round and then overwhelming Bunes late in the second. Bunes mixed kicks, takedowns, and mount to take the opener, but Van's pace and body work broke him down before a barrage of knees and punches forced the stoppage.

Key moments

• Bunes took round one on most scorecards after scoring takedowns, reaching mount, and threatening from top position.
• Van came out aggressively in round two, punishing the body in the clinch and punishing stuffed takedown attempts with elbows.
• As Bunes tired, Van chased him across the cage with punches, knees, and more body work.
• The finish came at 4:31 of round two after Van dropped Bunes and swarmed with punches and elbows.

Van dug out a 29-28 sweep over Borjas after losing the first round and then steadily drowning him with pressure. Borjas hurt him early with a right hand and jump knee, but Van's body work, jab, and late takedowns swung the final two frames.

Key moments

• Borjas won the opening round by cracking Van with a right hand, a jump knee, and steady leg kicks.
• Van changed the fight in round two by ripping the body, landing a head kick, and keeping Borjas on the back foot.
• He kept the same pressure in round three, added a slam and top control, and closed the round on the mat.
• All three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Van in a strong comeback performance.

Van's UFC debut turned into a high-speed split-decision win over veteran spoiler Zhumagulov. He gave away the first round to takedowns and leg kicks, then answered with sharper jab-right-hand combinations and repeated momentum swings in the final two rounds.

Key moments

• Zhumagulov took the opening frame with body-lock takedowns, leg kicks, and enough boxing to edge the striking.
• Van roared back in round two, rocking Zhumagulov with head kicks and unloading when the veteran was hurt.
• The third round stayed frantic, but Van's jab, straight punches, and superior volume repeatedly drove Zhumagulov backward.
• Van earned the split decision by scores of 28-29, 29-28, and 29-28 in his first UFC appearance.

Van captured the vacant Fury FC flyweight title by finishing veteran Cleveland McLean late in round two. Surviving written blow-by-blow is limited, but the main record sources consistently list a standing rear-naked choke at 4:49 of the second round.

Key moments

• The bout was for the vacant Fury FC flyweight championship.
• Van secured the finish at 4:49 of round two with a rear-naked choke commonly listed as standing.
• McLean entered on a five-fight winning streak and with far more professional experience.
• The result pushed Van to 7-1 and put Fury FC gold on his record.

Van kept his Fury FC run rolling with a fast second-round stoppage of Paris Moran. Detailed written coverage is scarce, but the result is consistently recorded as a punches TKO just 36 seconds into round two.

Key moments

• The fight ended 36 seconds into the second round.
• Record sources agree the stoppage came by punches.
• The bout took place at Fury FC 67 in Houston.
• It extended Van's winning streak with another finish on the regional circuit.

Van showed a less common submission wrinkle by catching Suazo in a calf slicer late in the second round. Strong round-by-round reporting is thin, but the main databases agree on the technique, the timing, and the second-round finish.

Key moments

• Van finished the fight at 4:23 of round two.
• The official method is listed as a calf slicer.
• The bout took place at Fury FC 62 in Houston.
• It gave Van one of the more unusual submissions on his record.

Van blew Trujillo away with a head-kick knockout in under two minutes at Fury FC 60. The finish is well documented across the main record sources even though extensive written detail from the fight itself is limited.

Key moments

• Van ended the bout at 1:36 of the opening round.
• The official finish was a knockout by head kick.
• The fight took place on the Fury FC 60 prelims in Houston.
• It was another early stoppage during Van's first year as a pro.

Van collected another early Fury FC finish by stopping Obando with punches in the first round. Available written coverage is limited, but the result is consistently preserved across the main record databases.

Key moments

• The stoppage came at 3:08 of round one.
• All major record sources list the method as TKO by punches.
• The fight was held at Fury FC 57 in Houston.
• It continued Van's quick-start finishing pattern on the regional scene.

Van suffered his first professional defeat when Jackson submitted him with only two seconds left in round two. Detailed surviving coverage is thin, but the late rear-naked choke and exact finish time are consistently recorded across the main sources.

Key moments

• Jackson finished the bout with a rear-naked choke at 4:58 of round two.
• The fight took place at Fury FC 55 in Houston.
• It stands as the first loss of Van's professional career.
• Van returned the following month and immediately resumed winning.

Van rebounded from his lone early-career loss by stopping Eastham in the second round at Fury FC 54. Written detail is limited, but the result is firmly documented as a punches TKO at 3:24 of round two.

Key moments

• Van earned the finish at 3:24 of round two.
• The official method is TKO by punches.
• The fight was contested at Fury FC 54 in Houston.
• It got Van back in the win column less than a month after his first defeat.

Van's professional debut ended with a distinctive body-shot stoppage of Tony Esquivel at Fury FC 52. The record is clear on the finish type and timing even though deep written coverage of the bout is limited today.

Key moments

• The finish came at 2:14 of round two.
• The listed method is TKO from knees to the body.
• This was Van's professional debut at Fury FC 52.
• He opened his pro career with an immediate stoppage win.