Joshua Van
Burmese-American mixed martial artist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joshua Van Bawi Thawng (Burmese: ယောရှုဗန်ဘွေထောင်း; born October 10, 2001) is a Burmese and American professional 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. At UFC 323, he became the UFC's first Asian-born male champion and the first champion to be born in the 2000s.[3] As of September 22, 2026, he is #6 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.[4]
| Joshua Van | |
|---|---|
Van in 2025 | |
| Born | Joshua Van Bawi Thawng[1] October 10, 2001 Hakha, Chin State, Myanmar |
| Native name | ယောရှုဗန်ဘွေထောင်း |
| Other names | The Fearless |
| Citizenship | Myanmar[a] United States |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
| Weight | 125 lb (57 kg; 8 st 13 lb) |
| Division | Flyweight |
| Reach | 65[1] in (165 cm) |
Fighting out of | Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Team | 4oz. Fight Club |
| Rank | Blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[2] |
| Years active | 2021–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 20 |
| Wins | 18 |
| By knockout | 9 |
| By submission | 2 |
| By decision | 7 |
| Losses | 2 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
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.[5][6]
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Van made his amateur MMA debut in December 2020. He accumulated a 4-0 record (2 KOs) in the regional Texan promotion Fury FC before turning professional.[7]
Van made his professional MMA debut in October 2021. He continued to fight 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.[8]
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.[9] This made him the first Burmese fighter to sign with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.[5] He won the fight by split decision.[10]
The bout between Van and Borjas was rescheduled on November 11, 2023, at UFC 295.[11] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[12]
Van faced Felipe Bunes, replacing Denys Bondar on January 13, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 234.[13] He won the fight by second-round technical knockout.[14]
Van was scheduled to face Lucas Rocha, replacing Jose Johnson on April 6, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 240.[15] However, Rocha withdrew due to injury and the bout was scrapped.[16]
Van was scheduled to face Su Mudaerji on June 1, 2024, at UFC 302.[17] However, Su pulled out in late April due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Tatsuro Taira.[18][19] 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.[20] 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.[21]
Van faced Charles Johnson on July 13, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 59.[22] He lost the fight via knockout in the third round.[23]
Van faced Édgar Cháirez, replacing Kevin Borjas on September 14, 2024, at UFC 306.[24] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[25]
Van faced Cody Durden on December 7, 2024, at UFC 310.[26] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[27]
Van was scheduled to face Bruno Gustavo da Silva on March 8, 2025, at UFC 313.[28] However, Silva pulled out due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Road to UFC Season 2 flyweight winner Rei Tsuruya.[29] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[30]
Van's bout with Bruno Gustavo da Silva was rescheduled and took place on June 7, 2025 at UFC 316.[31] Van won the fight by technical knockout late into the third round.[32]
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.[33] Van won the fight against Royval by unanimous decision.[34] This fight earned him his first Fight of the Night award.[35] 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.[36] It would also be awarded Fight of the Year in the 17th Annual World MMA Awards.
Flyweight Championship
Van faced Alexandre Pantoja for the UFC Flyweight Championship on December 6, 2025 at UFC 323.[37] 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.[38][39] He also became the UFC's first Asian-born male champion.[40]
Van was scheduled to make his first title defense against Tatsuro Taira on April 11, 2026 at UFC 327.[41] However, due to a knee injury, Van withdrew from the bout, so the bout was postponed to May 9, 2026 which took place at UFC 328.[42][43] He successfully defended the title and won the fight via technical knockout in the fifth round.[44] This fight earned him a $100,000 Fight of the Night award.[45]
Van defended his championship against Alexandre Pantoja in a rematch on September 19, 2026 at UFC 331.[46] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[47] This fight earned him another $100,000 Fight of the Night award.[48]
Van is scheduled to defend his title against former RIZIN Bantamweight Champion Manel Kape on January 30, 2027, 2026 at UFC 336.[49]
Personal life
Championships and accomplishments
|
|
Mixed martial arts record
| 20 matches | 18 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 9 | 1 |
| By submission | 2 | 1 |
| By decision | 7 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 18–2 | Alexandre Pantoja | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 331 | September 19, 2026 | 5 | 5:00 | Los Angeles, California, United States | Defended the UFC Flyweight Championship. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 17–2 | Tatsuro Taira | TKO (front kick to the body and punches) | UFC 328 | May 9, 2026 | 5 | 1:32 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | Defended the UFC Flyweight Championship. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 16–2 | Alexandre Pantoja | TKO (arm injury) | UFC 323 | December 6, 2025 | 1 | 0:26 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Won the UFC Flyweight Championship. |
| Win | 15–2 | Brandon Royval | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 317 | June 28, 2025 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 14–2 | Bruno Gustavo da Silva | TKO (punches) | UFC 316 | June 7, 2025 | 3 | 4:01 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 13–2 | Rei Tsuruya | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 313 | March 8, 2025 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 12–2 | Cody Durden | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 310 | December 7, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 11–2 | Édgar Cháirez | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 306 | September 14, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 10–2 | Charles Johnson | KO (punches) | UFC on ESPN: Namajunas vs. Cortez | July 13, 2024 | 3 | 0:20 | Denver, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 10–1 | Felipe Bunes | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Walker 2 | January 13, 2024 | 2 | 4:31 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 9–1 | Kevin Borjas | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 295 | November 11, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | New York City, New York, United States | |
| Win | 8–1 | Zhalgas Zhumagulov | Decision (split) | UFC on ABC: Emmett vs. Topuria | June 24, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Jacksonville, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 7–1 | Cleveland McLean | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Fury FC 72 | December 18, 2022 | 2 | 4:49 | Houston, Texas, United States | Won the vacant Fury FC Flyweight Championship. |
| Win | 6–1 | Paris Moran | TKO (punches) | Fury FC 67 | August 14, 2022 | 2 | 0:36 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 5–1 | Mario Suazo | Submission (calf slicer) | Fury FC 62 | May 15, 2022 | 2 | 4:23 | Castle Rock, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 4–1 | Angelo Trujillo | KO (head kick) | Fury FC 60 | April 24, 2022 | 1 | 1:36 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 3–1 | Francisco Obando | TKO (punches) | Fury FC 57 | February 11, 2022 | 1 | 3:08 | Humble, Texas, United States | |
| Loss | 2–1 | Devon Jackson | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Fury FC 55 | December 19, 2021 | 2 | 4:58 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Chase Eastham | TKO (punches) | Fury FC 54 | November 21, 2021 | 2 | 3:24 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Tony Esquivel | TKO (knees to the body) | Fury FC 52 | October 17, 2021 | 2 | 2:14 | Houston, Texas, United States | Flyweight debut. |
See also
Notes
- Expatriate
