Joshua Van is the UFC flyweight champion, born in Myanmar and raised in Houston. He is the first fighter from Myanmar ever signed by the UFC and the first UFC champion born in the 2000s. He defends his title against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331 on September 19.
| Profile | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name and nickname | Joshua Van, known as The Fearless |
| Born | October 10, 2001, in Myanmar. Age 24 |
| Nationality | Burmese and American. Speaks Burmese and English |
| Fights out of | Houston, Texas. Team 4oz Fight Club |
| Division | Flyweight, 125 pounds |
| Height and stance | 5 foot 5, orthodox |
| Professional record | 17-2, nine wins by knockout or TKO, two by submission |
| Before the UFC | 7-1 in Fury Fighting Championship, won its flyweight title by submitting Cleveland McLean in December 2022 |
| UFC debut | June 24, 2023, split decision over Zhalgas Zhumagulov |
| Records held | Second-youngest champion in UFC history. Youngest to reach 1,000 significant strikes landed. Shares the record for most combined significant strikes in a fight, 419, with Brandon Royval |
| Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | Tatsuro Taira | Won, stoppage in the final round. First title defense |
| Dec 6, 2025 | Alexandre Pantoja | Won the title, TKO by injury at 26 seconds of round one |
| Jun 29, 2025 | Brandon Royval | Won, unanimous decision. Record 419 combined strikes |
| Jun 7, 2025 | Bruno Silva | Won, TKO in round three |
| Mar 8, 2025 | Rei Tsuruya | Won, unanimous decision |
| Dec 7, 2024 | Cody Durden | Won, unanimous decision |
| Jul 14, 2024 | Charles Johnson | Lost by knockout in round three |
Myanmar, Houston and the Rise
Van describes the split simply: his blood is from Myanmar, but Houston raised him. He carries the Myanmar flag to the cage and throws up the H for the city, and after winning the belt he handed it to his mother and said the world would now know his country. He is also the first Houston fighter to win a UFC title. The career arc is unusual because of how fast it turned. In July 2024 he was knocked out by Charles Johnson and looked like a promising but raw prospect. He then went 4-0 across 2025, including the Royval fight that set the all-time strike-volume record, and won the belt in December. That title win came in 26 seconds through no real fault of his own, which left questions he answered in a hard first defense against Tatsuro Taira. Full details on what happened in the first Pantoja fight. His official record and bio are at UFC.com.
The Bottom Line
Joshua Van is a 24 year old flyweight champion, 17-2, born in Myanmar and raised in Houston, the first UFC fighter from his country and the first champion born this century. He defends against Pantoja at UFC 331.