Ahead of UFC Vegas 93, 22-year-old prospect Joshua ‘Fearless’ Van believes he is just two big victories away from fighting for the UFC flyweight title.
Whilst the vast majority of the headlines surrounding UFC Vegas 93 have so far been dominated by the main and co-main events respectively, there’s a fascinating flyweight matchup further down the card that MMA fans should be keeping a very close eye on.
Keep an eye out for Joshua Van vs Tagir Ulanbekov at UFC Vegas 93
UFC Vegas 93 might be your typical Apex event with just a handful of ranked fighters scattered throughout the card, yet there are a fair few prospects and potential future champions to keep an eye on.
This includes 22-year-old Joshua ‘Fearless’ Van, who rides into this weekend’s event with a 10-1 professional record: eight of those wins coming inside the distance, including his last bout which ended in a viral KO of Felipe Bunes.
He takes on 15-2 submission artist Tagir Ulanbekov on Saturday and should Van get his hand raised over the Russian contender, the flyweight hopeful is eyeing a quick ascent into title contention.
Joshua Van believes he’s just two big wins away from a UFC title shot
Speaking via the UFC News crew, 10-1 flyweight contender Joshua Van teased that whilst he might not be quite ready for a title shot just yet; it shouldn’t be long before he steps into the octagon to challenge for a shiny gold belt.
“I think after this one I probably need one or two more to get the title. So, after this we go back and then we talk about the next matchup… But I think I probably need two more.”
Heading into UFC Vegas 93, Van isn’t ranked in the flyweight division but would likely appear in the rankings around the #12 spot, should he defeat Ulanbekov at the Apex on Saturday evening.
Whilst somewhat unlikely, that next bout for Van could potentially be against the man standing opposite veteran Alex Perez in the main event of UFC Vegas 93, undefeated Japanese star Tatsuro Taira.
The pair of hungry flyweight prospects were originally meant to face each other at UFC 302 earlier this month; however, the promotion opted to split both Taira and Van up so that they could both scale the 125lb ladder separately – at least for now.
“We stay ready around here,” stated Van, noting that when it comes to taking short notice fights against whoever, whenever the UFC calls; “I was always built that way.”
Van hopes that such an attitude pays dividends with the UFC brass and could one day land him in a position to stand opposite Taira in the cage.
“Whoever, whenever. So, I wasn’t surprised when they called me [for UFC 302]; as a matter of fact, I asked for that fight. He’s good and he’s undefeated – Nobody can seem to figure him out.
“I want to be the first guy – we’re in the best division in the UFC, so it’s very exciting.”
Joshua Van vs Tagir Ulanbekov might be buried in the prelims, so make sure you are tuned in nice and early to watch the ever-entertaining flyweights throw down – live from the UFC Apex on Saturday, June 15.