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Joshua Van’s crowning achievement brings extra questions than solutions. Van succeeded in dethroning Alexandre Pantoja to grow to be the second youngest UFC champion ever, however the final result of their struggle at UFC 323 does little to handle who the higher man was.
Early in Spherical 1, Pantoja threw a excessive kick. Van caught the kick and threw Pantoja to the mat. The defending champion instantly clutched his arm and known as for referee Herb Dean. The official shortly stepped in and waved off the struggle. A ugly replay confirmed Pantoja’s arm snapping on the elbow as he tried to plant on the mat. Van shortly consoled Pantoja as high contender Tatsuro Taira expressed shock cageside.
Van raised his arms in victory as UFC announcer Bruce Buffer named him the brand new flyweight champion, and his coach paraded Van round on his shoulder. Such showboating would possibly bitter followers who deem the end result inconclusive.
Calling the damage a freak accident unfairly discredits Van. It was his offensive motion that led to the end. Nonetheless, the armbreak was an unlikely final result and a secondary impact of Van’s assault, not one thing he meant to do.
Van’s title will go down within the file books whatever the technique of victory. At 24 years previous, he grew to become the second-youngest UFC champion in historical past, behind solely Jon Jones, arguably MMA’s all-time finest fighter. Van’s progress is outstanding. He did not begin competing professionally till after the COVID-19 pandemic and has already reached the mountaintop of the game.
Pantoja, 35, was constructing an important case for himself because the second-best flyweight of all-time, behind solely Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson. This loss does little to wreck that.
What’s subsequent is dependent upon how briskly Pantoja can heal. If his restoration timeline is brief, the UFC would possibly wish to e book an instantaneous rematch. In any other case, Taira established himself as a worthy challenger after beating former two-time champion Brandon Moreno on Saturday. Van and Taira took just about no injury at UFC 323 so, pending approval from the Nevada State Athletic Fee, they may flip round shortly.
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