Joshua Van proud to have 'proof that I am a world champion' after title defense
For some, Joshua Van’s injury-shortened victory over Alexandre Pantoja last December was always going to be accompanied by an asterisk.
Joshua Van silenced the doubters at UFC 328. | Getty/UFC For some, Joshua Van ’s injury-shortened victory over Alexandre Pantoja last December was always going to be accompanied by an asterisk. After all, the flyweight title fight barely had a chance to unfold before Pantoja suffered an arm injury 26 seconds into Round 1 at UFC 323 .
While Van celebrated becoming a champion, he still had something to prove heading into his first title defense against Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328 on Saturday. Van delivered in that regard, weathering some early adversity en route to a fifth-round technical knockout victory over the Japanese standout in the evening’s co-headliner at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. “I feel great.
I think I have proof that I am a world champion, you know,” Van said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “Shout out to [Taira], nothing but respect to him. He’s a tough motherf—er.
While Taira was able to impose his will on the ground in the early going, Van kept his composure and gradually took control through his superior striking. That culminated in one final barrage to put his Japanese adversary away at the 1:32 mark of Round 5. “I know that he's a good grappler,” Van said.