Joshua Van’s UFC 323 celebration drew loads of backlash, however one MMA veteran believes the criticism is misplaced. “The Fearless” lastly fulfilled his lifelong dream of turning into a UFC champion final Saturday, although the second got here with out the gratification of truly defeating defending flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja.
The battle got here to an abrupt finish when Pantoja dislocated his shoulder simply seconds into the bout. The harm occurred after Van caught his leg on a head-kick try, sending “The Cannibal” crashing to the canvas and touchdown awkwardly on his left arm.
What initially gave the impression to be a easy shoulder dislocation seemed far worse on replay. Pantoja’s left elbow visibly twisted misplaced, his arm bending in a method it was by no means meant to. Sitting on the canvas in clear agony, he signaled he couldn’t go on, prompting the referee to wave off the battle solely 26 seconds after it started.
After the bout was stopped and Van was formally named the brand new champion, he showcased the flyweight belt with delight. That celebration didn’t sit well with many fighters and fans, who criticized the 24-year-old Burmese expertise for embracing the second regardless of not really defeating Pantoja. However Matt Brown doesn’t see it as a giant deal in any respect.
Matt Brown Defends Joshua Van’s UFC 323 Celebration
Throughout a current episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer, MMA legend Matt Brown provided his tackle Joshua Van’s UFC 323 celebration. “The Immortal” got here to Van’s protection, saying the younger fighter had each proper to benefit from the second.
Brown expressed that “The Fearless” spent his total life chasing the dream of turning into a UFC champion, and at last reaching that purpose is what issues most.
“To be sincere when it’s for a title like that, I don’t wish to hate on Joshua Van for it,” Brown mentioned. “As a result of right here’s what the very fact is — this dude has spent his complete life, a really quick lifetime of his, about half of mine — even when not his complete life for the final nevertheless a few years, his total life has been on attending to this single purpose, which is an exceptionally excessive purpose.
“This isn’t ‘I wish to have one million greenback internet price by the point I’m 30’ or some shit. That is an insanely exhausting to succeed in purpose and he bought it. How he bought it, does it actually matter? They put a belt round his waist. That is what he dreamed about. That is what he visualized. That is what he put the work in for. So I can perceive that aspect.”
