Joshua Van

Last updated
Joshua Van
BornJoshua Van Bawi Thawng [1]
(2001-10-10) October 10, 2001 (age 24)
Hakha, Chin, Myanmar
Other namesThe Fearless
NationalityBurmese [a]
American
Height5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Weight125 lb (57 kg; 8 st 13 lb)
Division Flyweight
Reach65 [1]  in (165 cm)
Fighting out of Houston, Texas, U.S.
Team4oz. Fight Club
Years active2021–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total18
Wins16
By knockout8
By submission2
By decision6
Losses2
By knockout1
By submission1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Joshua Van Bawi Thawng (born October 10, 2001) is a Burmese and American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current UFC Flyweight Champion. Van is the first fighter from Myanmar to sign with the promotion, becoming the UFC's first Asian-born male champion at UFC 323. He is also the first fighter born in the 2000s to win a UFC title. As of December 16, 2025, he is #12 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings. [2]

Contents

Background

Van was born on October 10, 2001 in Hakha, in the Chin State of western Myanmar, to a family of five siblings. Due to a country ridden with military and political conflict, his family moved to Malaysia, when he was ten. In 2013, at the age of twelve, Van migrated with his family to the United States, settling in Houston, Texas. [3] [4]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Van made his professional MMA debut in 2021. He fought exclusively for Fury Fighting Championship, where he acquired a 7–1 record including in the main event of Fury FC 72 on December 18, 2022, where he submitted Cleveland McLean in the second round to win the promotion's Flyweight title. [5]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Van was scheduled to face Kevin Borjas on August 8, 2023, at Dana White's Contender Series 57, but he was pulled in order to face Zhalgas Zhumagulov at UFC on ABC 5 on June 24, 2023. [6] This made him the first Burmese fighter to sign with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. [3] He won the fight by split decision. [7]

The bout between Van and Borjas was rescheduled on November 11, 2023, at UFC 295. [8] He won the fight via unanimous decision. [9]

Van faced Felipe Bunes, replacing Denys Bondar on January 13, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 234. [10] He won the fight by second-round technical knockout. [11]

Van was scheduled to face Lucas Rocha, replacing Jose Johnson on April 6, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 240. [12] However, Rocha withdrew due to injury and the bout was scrapped. [13]

Van was scheduled to face Su Mudaerji on June 1, 2024, at UFC 302. [14] However, Su pulled out in late April due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Tatsuro Taira. [15] [16] In turn, both fighters were moved to UFC on ESPN 58 on June 15, 2024 and Van ended up being scheduled to face Tagir Ulanbekov instead. [17] However, the bout was cancelled when Ulanbekov weighed in at 129.5 pounds, three and a half pounds over the flyweight non-title fight limit. [18]

Van faced Charles Johnson on July 13, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 59. [19] He lost the fight via knockout in the third round. [20]

Van faced Édgar Cháirez, replacing Kevin Borjas on September 14, 2024, at UFC 306. [21] He won the fight via unanimous decision. [22]

Van faced Cody Durden on December 7, 2024, at UFC 310. [23] He won the fight via unanimous decision. [24]

Van was scheduled to face Bruno Gustavo da Silva on March 8, 2025, at UFC 313. [25] However, Silva pulled out due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Road to UFC Season 2 flyweight winner Rei Tsuruya. [26] He won the fight by unanimous decision. [27]

Van's bout with Bruno Gustavo da Silva was rescheduled and took place on June 7, 2025 at UFC 316. [28] Van won the fight by technical knockout late into the third round. [29]

Van stepped in on three weeks short notice to face former LFA Flyweight Champion and UFC Flyweight Championship challenger Brandon Royval at UFC 317 on June 28, 2025, after Manel Kape was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a broken foot. [30] Van won the fight against Royval by unanimous decision. [31] This fight earned him his first Fight of the Night award. [32] Van and Royval landed a total of 419 significant strikes, which broke the record for most significant strikes landed in a three-round UFC fight and flyweight bout. [33]

Van faced Alexandre Pantoja for the UFC Flyweight Championship on December 6, 2025 at UFC 323. [34] Van defeated Pantoja by technical knockout 26 seconds into the first round when Pantoja sustained an arm injury from falling to the canvas, after having a kick attempt caught by Van. At 24 years old, Van became the second-youngest champion in UFC history, behind Jon Jones, and the first fighter born in the 2000s to win a UFC title. [35] [36] He also became the UFC's first Asian-born male champion. [37]

Personal life

Van's father died in 2017 and as of July 2025, lives with his mother. [38] Van is a Christian. [39] [40]

Van is an avid fan of McDonalds and has mentioned to various media sources that he eats it for breakfast every morning, even during training camp. [41]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
18 matches16 wins2 losses
By knockout81
By submission21
By decision60
Res.RecordOpponentMethodEventDateRoundTimeLocationNotes
Win16–2 Alexandre Pantoja TKO (arm injury) UFC 323 December 6, 202510:26 Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesWon the UFC Flyweight Championship.
Win15–2 Brandon Royval Decision (unanimous) UFC 317 June 28, 202535:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesFight of the Night.
Win14–2 Bruno Gustavo da Silva TKO (punches) UFC 316 June 7, 202534:01 Newark, New Jersey, United States
Win13–2Rei TsuruyaDecision (unanimous) UFC 313 March 8, 202535:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win12–2 Cody Durden Decision (unanimous) UFC 310 December 7, 202435:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win11–2 Édgar Cháirez Decision (unanimous) UFC 306 September 14, 202435:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss10–2 Charles Johnson KO (punches) UFC on ESPN: Namajunas vs. Cortez July 13, 202430:20 Denver, Colorado, United States
Win10–1Felipe BunesTKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Walker 2 January 13, 202424:31 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win9–1Kevin BorjasDecision (unanimous) UFC 295 November 11, 202335:00 New York City, New York, United States
Win8–1 Zhalgas Zhumagulov Decision (split) UFC on ABC: Emmett vs. Topuria June 24, 202335:00 Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Win7–1Cleveland McLeanSubmission (rear-naked choke)Fury FC 72December 18, 202224:49 Houston, Texas, United StatesWon the vacant Fury FC Flyweight Championship.
Win6–1Paris MoranTKO (punches)Fury FC 67August 14, 202220:36 Houston, Texas, United States
Win5–1Mario SuazoSubmission (calf slicer)Fury FC 62May 15, 202224:23 Castle Rock, Colorado, United States
Win4–1Angelo TrujilloKO (head kick)Fury FC 60April 24, 202211:36 Houston, Texas, United States
Win3–1Francisco ObandoTKO (punches)Fury FC 57February 11, 202213:08 Humble, Texas, United States
Loss2–1Devon JacksonSubmission (rear-naked choke)Fury FC 55December 19, 202124:58 Houston, Texas, United States
Win2–0Chase EasthamTKO (punches)Fury FC 54November 21, 202123:24 Houston, Texas, United States
Win1–0Tony EsquivelTKO (knees to the body)Fury FC 52October 17, 202122:14 Houston, Texas, United StatesFlyweight debut.

[64]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Expatriate

References

  1. 1 2 "Joshua Van ("The Fearless") | MMA Fighter Page". Tapology. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  2. ↑ "UFC Rankings, Division Rankings, P4P rankings, UFC Champions | UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  3. 1 2 "Burmese fighter: Joshua Van details pioneering journey to plant Myanmar's flag on UFC turf". MMA Junkie. 2023-07-04. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  4. ↑ "Where Is Joshua Van From And What Is His Ethnicity?". The Playoffs. 2025-06-29. Retrieved 2025-06-29.
  5. 1 2 "Fury FC 72 Results - MMASucka". December 18, 2022.
  6. ↑ Lee, Alexander K. (2023-06-15). "Zhalgas Zhumagulov vs. Felipe Bunes off UFC Vegas 75, Zhumagulov to fight Joshua Van at UFC Jacksonville". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
  7. ↑ Bitter, Shawn (June 24, 2023). "UFC Jacksonville: Newcomer Josh Van Arrives, Takes Split Decision Against Zhalgas Zhumagulov".
  8. ↑ "Kevin Borjas UFC Debut Reported vs Joshua Van at UFC 295 Event". www.itnwwe.com. 2023-08-14. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  9. ↑ Bitter, Shawn (2023-11-11). "UFC 295: Joshua Van Takes Decision Over Kevin Borjas in Active Scrap". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  10. ↑ "First UFC event of 2024 hit with multiple changes". MMA Junkie. 2023-12-22. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  11. ↑ Dewar, Val (2024-01-13). "Joshua Van Gets First Octagon Finish Over Felipe Bunes at UFC Vegas 84". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  12. ↑ Riggs, Drake (2024-03-12). "Morning Report: Demetrious Johnson believes Anthony Joshua would also beat Francis Ngannou in MMA". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  13. ↑ "UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Curtis 2". Tapology. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  14. ↑ "Joshua Van faces Su Mudaerji at UFC 302". Asian MMA. 2024-04-09. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  15. ↑ Sherdog.com. "Joshua Van Announces UFC 302 Bout Against Su Mudaerji Has Been Canceled". Sherdog. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  16. ↑ "Tatsuro Taira fills UFC 302 opening, fights Joshua Van". MMA Junkie. 2024-04-25. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  17. ↑ Riggs, Drake (2024-05-13). "Shake-up! UFC Vegas 93 re-arranges matchups, Alex Perez vs. Tatsuro Taira now headlines". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  18. ↑ "UFC on ESPN 58 weigh-in results: Ranked flyweight misses mark by 3.5 pounds, fight scrapped". MMA Junkie. 2024-06-14. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  19. ↑ Anderson, Jay (2024-07-04). "UFC Denver Gets Joshua Van vs. Charles Johnson". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  20. ↑ Anderson, Jay (2024-07-13). "UFC Denver: Charles Johnson Flattens Joshua Van with Uppercut". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  21. ↑ Meshew, Jed (2024-09-03). "Kevin Borjas out of UFC 306, Joshua Van steps in against Edgar Chairez". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  22. ↑ Staff (2024-09-14). "UFC 306: Scrappy Fight Sees Joshua Van Win Decision Against Edgar Chairez". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  23. ↑ Anderson, Jay (2024-10-08). "Cody Durden vs. Joshua Van Flyweight Fight Added to UFC 310". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  24. ↑ Hester, Bryson (2024-12-07). "UFC 310: Joshua Van Looks Sharp Against Cody Durden". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  25. ↑ Cruz, Guilherme (2025-01-02). "UFC 313 lands 3 new matchups for March event". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  26. ↑ Jed Meshew (2025-02-17). "Bruno Silva out of UFC 313, Rei Tsuruya steps in against Joshua Van". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
  27. ↑ Brian Knapp (2025-03-08). "UFC 313 Prelims: Joshua Van Stymies One-Dimensional Rei Tsuruya in Las Vegas". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2025-03-08.
  28. ↑ Tristen Critchfield (2025-03-26). "Joshua Van vs. Bruno Silva Rebooked for UFC 316". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
  29. ↑ Mathis Desjardins (2025-06-07). "UFC 316: Joshua Van Slices Through Bruno Silva for TKO Victory". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
  30. ↑ Nolan King (2025-06-09). "Manel Kape breaks foot; Brandon Royval, Joshua Van agree to UFC 317 fight". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
  31. ↑ Eddie Law (2025-06-28). "Joshua Van Takes Decision Over Royval In FOTY Candidate". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  32. 1 2 Chris Taylor (2025-06-28). "UFC 317 Bonus Report: Joshua Van and Brandon Royval earn FOTN honors". bjpenn.com. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  33. ↑ Mike Bohn (2025-06-29). "UFC 317 post-event facts: Ilia Topuria raises bar for two-division title club". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2025-06-29.
  34. ↑ Nolan King (2025-10-13). "UFC title fight between Alexandre Pantoja and Joshua Van official". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  35. ↑ Shakiel Mahjouri (2025-12-07). "UFC 323 results, highlights: Joshua Van becomes second-youngest UFC champ after Alexandre Pantoja injury". CBS Sports. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
  36. ↑ Lewis Thompson (2025-12-07). "Pantoja suffers horrific injury in UFC 323 title fight as Van becomes champion". talkSPORT. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
  37. ↑ Nolan King (2025-12-07). "UFC 323: Gruesome injury quickly ends Alexandre Pantoja vs. Joshua Van". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
  38. ↑ Ariel Helwani (2025-07-07). "Joshua Van Promises To Win UFC Title Before End of 2025, Lacks Respect For Alexandre Pantoja". The Ariel Helwani Show. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  39. ↑ JAXXON MEDIA HOUSE (2025-07-14). Joshua Van thought he was gonna be a preacher . Retrieved 2025-07-21– via YouTube.
  40. ↑ "Joshua Van on New Fame and UFC Life: "Cameras Follow Me to Church, But I'm Locked In on the Fight"". 2025-06-27. Retrieved 2025-07-21.
  41. ↑ Behunin, Alexander (2025-12-04). "Big Mac attack? UFC 323 title challenger, Joshua Van, crushes fast food while in training camp - 'Eating clean is boring'". MMA Mania: UFC news, results, videos, rumors, fights. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  42. 1 2 3 Mike Bohn (2025-12-07). "UFC 323 post-event facts: Alexandre Pantoja makes dubious history". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
  43. 1 2 "UFC Records - Fight Stats - Flyweight". statleaders.ufc.com. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
  44. ↑ "UFC Records - All Fighters". statleaders.ufc.com. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
  45. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "UFC Records - Flyweight". statleaders.ufc.com. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
  46. ↑ "The Fighters | 2025 UFC.com Awards | UFC". www.ufc.com. December 23, 2025. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  47. ↑ "The Fights | 2025 UFC.com Awards | UFC". www.ufc.com. December 22, 2025. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  48. ↑ UFC Staff (July 4, 2025). "The Fights - 2025 Half-Year Awards". UFC .
  49. 1 2 "2025 MMA awards: Joshua Van's breakout year earns him multiple honors". ESPN.com. December 22, 2025. Archived from the original on December 22, 2025. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
  50. ↑ Knapp, Brian (December 18, 2025). "Sherdog's 2025 Male Fighter of the Year". Sherdog . Retrieved December 21, 2025.
  51. ↑ Duffy, Ben (December 29, 2025). "Sherdog's 2025 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year". Sherdog . Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  52. ↑ Knapp, Brian (December 20, 2025). "Sherdog's 2025 Fight of the Year". Sherdog . Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  53. ↑ Hannoun, Farah. "MMA Junkie's 2025 Breakout Fighter of the Year: Joshua Van". MMA Junkie. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  54. ↑ "UFC Fight of the Year 2025: Joshua Van vs. Brandon Royval earns honor". CBS Sports. December 29, 2025. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  55. 1 2 Baldwin, Nick (December 26, 2025). "2025 MMA awards: Our top fighters, moments of the year". theScore.com. Retrieved December 26, 2025.
  56. 1 2 "2025 UFC Awards: Who Is The Fighter Of The Year?". December 16, 2025. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  57. ↑ Richardson, Andrew (December 25, 2025). "Top Five UFC/MMA Fighters Of 2025". MMA Mania. Retrieved December 26, 2025.
  58. ↑ Richardson, Andrew (December 25, 2025). "Top Five UFC/MMA Fights Of 2025". MMA Mania. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
  59. ↑ Meshew, Jed (December 29, 2025). "MMA Fighting's 2025 Fighter of the Year: Islam Makhachev". MMA Fighting. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  60. ↑ Heck, Mike (December 27, 2025). "MMA Fighting's 2025 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year: Joshua Van". MMA Fighting. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
  61. ↑ Martin, Damon (December 28, 2025). "MMA Fighting's 2025 Fight of the Year: Joshua Van vs. Brandon Royval". MMA Fighting. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  62. ↑ Meshew, Jed (January 1, 2026). "2025 All-Violence Team: Who were the most memorable fighters in each weight class this year?". MMA Fighting. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  63. ↑ Riggs, Drake (December 28, 2025). "MMA's biggest breakthrough fighters of 2025: 5 names who reshaped the conversation". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  64. ↑ "Joshua Van". Sherdog. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
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