An MMA analyst believes Joshua Van could not but have the solutions to resolve a champion as skilled as Alexandre Pantoja. Van is set to challenge reigning UFC flyweight champion Pantoja within the UFC 323 co-main occasion this Saturday on the T-Cellular Area in Las Vegas.
“The Fearless” is coming off a unanimous resolution victory over former title challenger Brandon Royval at UFC 317 in June, a press release win that secured him the championship alternative. He enters UFC 323 on a five-fight win streak, and except for a lone knockout loss to Charles Johnson at UFC Denver in July 2024, the 24-year-old expertise out of Myanmar has been flawless within the promotion, profitable eight of his final 9 bouts.
Many pundits imagine Van has the tools to give Pantoja real problems within the struggle, notably within the putting exchanges. Nevertheless, Din Thomas sees it otherwise, arguing that Van is strolling right into a stylistic nightmare in opposition to “The Cannibal.
Din Thomas Dismisses Joshua Van’s Odds, Says He’s Not “At The Stage” To Dethrone Alexandre Pantoja
Throughout a current interview with MMA Junkie, UFC analyst Din Thomas gave his tackle the flyweight title struggle between Alexandre Pantoja and Joshua Van at UFC 323. The MMA veteran mentioned that Pantoja is poised to check Van with a relentless sequence of grappling threats that might shortly expose any gaps within the younger contender’s recreation.
“I feel Pantoja, I don’t need to say walks by him, however I feel stylistically, he has all the benefits to make this look precisely the way in which he beat Kai Kara-France, and I feel it’s going to look just like that,” Thomas mentioned.
Thomas pointed to expertise because the defining issue, suggesting “The Fearless” could not but be on the identical aggressive tier as Pantoja, and believes this obvious hole makes the matchup really feel a step too early for Van.
“And I say this with all due respect as a result of Joshua Van, like Waldo Cortes-Acosta, is one among my favourite fighters proper now. However stylistically, I simply don’t assume he’s on the stage proper now to have the ability to take care of Pantoja. This man’s solely been doing this for 5 years. Like, Pantoja was most likely a black belt 5 years in the past so, I feel it’s a bit of untimely for him.”
