Joshua Van first won UFC flyweight gold in controversial circumstances when then dominant champion Alexandre Pantoja injured his arm just 26 seconds into their title bout last year.
He was called an illegitimate champ.
But how about now? How about after Van not only knocked out Tatsuro Taira in his first title defence but now outclassed Pantoja on his way to a unanimous decision victory at UFC 331?
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Van’s slick striking was matched by his exceptional takedown defence, with the champion retaining his belt on the scorecards in dominant fashion (49-46, 49-47, 50-45).
The 50-45 scorecard was definitely questionable given the ground control Pantoja had in the first and fourth round, but nevertheless it was a deserved win for Van in what Michael Bisping described as an “all-time classic” fight.
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Pantoja had an immediate win early in Sunday’s fight as he scored a takedown on his first attempt and while he didn’t inflict any real damage, the challenger was able to maintain total control and eventually took full mount.
A patient Pantoja waited for his opportunity, at one point threatening an armbar before Van got the fight back to the feet entering the final two minutes.
But Pantoja looked just as comfortable standing in the middle of the octagon as he got through with some knees to the body at close range and partially landed with a few big right hands.
Van responded by going to his jab to try settle things down, but those knees from Pantoja continued to cause problems for the champion, who was taken down again in the final minute to cap off a dominant round for the challenger.
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There was a spot of controversy early in the second round as Pantoja was cut open, pleading with the referee to take a point away from Van for leading with the head.
But replays showed it was incidental contact, with Pantoja at risk of losing focus and steering away from a game plan that was working so well early in the fight.
“He’s getting emotional here and he can’t do that,” Joe Rogan said in commentary.
“No way was that on purpose.”
A frustrated Pantoja tried to get another takedown when the fight got back underway but Van defended it well and landed a few nice punches, then following it up with a crisp combination.
The challenger finally got Van to the ground to close out the second round, but on a whole it was a strong response from the champion who had the better of the striking exchanges.
It left the fight well and truly in the balance entering the third round, with Pantoja continuing to desperately try and get it to the floor.
In further proof of just how tightly fought it had been, both Van and Pantoja had exactly 81 significant strikes halfway through the third round.
The only real difference from the early stages of the first round was what Van had cleaned up his takedown defence, stopping 10 of 13 attempts from Pantoja.
Yet, the challenger kept coming and eventually got Van back down again in the final minute of the third round.
But it was Van who had the final say to end the round as he exploded with a number of clean shots, including a huge right hand, which just prompted Pantoja to motion for him to keep bringing it.
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And Van did just that to leave enough of an impression to take the third round too.
Both fighters landed big shots before Pantoja got a takedown after one minute and pretty much controlled things from their for the entirety of the fourth round.
Pantoja didn’t do too much from there, but he had more than enough ground control to essentially leave the judges with no choice but to give him that round.
That, again, left the fight result up in the air entering the final round with the two separated by just one significant strike with just under three minutes left.
But Van was clearly the one with more left in the tank, and rocked Pantoja late to leave no doubt that he would have his hand raised and defend his belt.
“That is a championship-level fifth round,” Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier declared.
“Joshua Van has done everything to win this round… he’s trying to take this fight away from Pantoja.”
TITLE CONTENDER STUNS WITH ‘RARE’ KNOCKOUT, WILD CALLOUT
Earlier, Arman Tsarukyan extended his UFC record to 24-3 with a brutal KO in the dying moments of the first round of his co-main event bout against Mauricio Ruffy.
The 29-year old all but secured a shot at the lightweight title with a brutal double-elbow blow.
The first sent Ruffy to the floor, before the second finished off a spectacular knockout.
“He’s out! Outstanding,” Joe Rogan exclaimed.
“Wow. Wooooow.
“That is so rare, that you see a guy get KOed with an elbow on their feet like that.”
Former champion Daniel Cormier said the elbow was “nasty”.
“He was gone the moment that elbow landed,” he said.
As Tsarukyan leapt out of the Octagon to celebrate with a throng of cheering fans, Ruffy remained stunned on the floor.
“Ruffy’s still out! He’s still flat on his back,” Rogan said.
Speaking post-fight, Tsarukyan said he knew he needed a finish to ensure a title fight and also declared he wanted to face Mark Zuckerbeg next if he didn’t get a shot at Justin Gaethje.
“Thank you Los Angeles,” he told Rogan.
“For my next fight, the title fight, I needed the finish.
“Title fight or Mark Zuckerberg — I want you next.”
First round KO! Arman finishes Ruffy | 00:33
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