The newly crowned UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van added another accomplishment to his resume shortly after his controversial title victory at UFC 323.
Van was promoted to a three-stripe blue belt in BJJ by his instructor Daniel Pineda, during what appeared to be a casual moment shared on social media.
Van claimed the UFC flyweight championship in just 26 seconds at UFC 323 in Las Vegas when defending champion Alexandre Pantoja suffered a devastating arm injury.
The bout ended in unfortunate circumstances when Pantoja threw a head kick, lost his balance, and fell to the canvas. As he attempted to post on his arm to break his fall, the limb appeared to either dislocate or break, forcing an immediate stoppage.
The 24-year-old Van becomes the second youngest UFC champion in the promotion’s history, trailing only Jon Jones. However, the nature of the victory has left many questioning the legitimacy of his championship reign. While Van did make contact with Pantoja as the Brazilian fell, observers have largely attributed the outcome to a freak accident rather than any decisive action from the challenger.
“He’s one of the greatest of all time, I didn’t want the fight to go that way,” Van told Joe Rogan during the post-fight interview, acknowledging the anticlimactic nature of his title-winning moment.
In a recent video posted on his social media, Van received his BJJ promotion during what appeared to be a casual moment with his coach. Coach Daniel Pineda is seen presenting Van with a new blue belt. Two stripes were already on it before the coach another stripe on the spot.
“But the way you roll, we’re gonna get one more,” the coach said while presenting the promotion.
The victory occurred during the co-main event of UFC 323, which marked the final pay-per-view card of the UFC’s ESPN era before the promotion’s transition to Paramount+ over the next seven years. With only one more UFC event remaining in 2025, Van’s championship win, however it came, ensures his name will be remembered in the year’s final chapter.
Pantoja was seeking his fifth consecutive title defense before the injury derailed those plans. He had started the contest aggressively with leg kicks and early exchanges before the unfortunate sequence ended his night prematurely. A rematch appears inevitable once Pantoja recovers from the injury.
