TLDR
- Joshua Van defeated Alexandre Pantoja via unanimous decision at UFC 331 to defend his flyweight title
- Van admitted Joe Rogan’s pre-fight comments calling his first win “accidental” affected him
- The champion’s first victory over Pantoja ended after 26 seconds due to Pantoja’s broken elbow
- Van says Rogan doesn’t owe him an apology despite the comments getting under his skin
- Pantoja earned $650,000 for the fight while champion Van received $500,000
Sources: yardbarker.com | mmajunkie.usatoday.com | fightbookmma.com
Joshua Van successfully defended his flyweight championship at UFC 331, defeating Alexandre Pantoja via unanimous decision on September 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. But the 24-year-old champion later admitted that Joe Rogan’s pre-fight comments had gotten to him.
At the UFC 331 weigh-ins, Rogan called Van’s first win over Pantoja at UFC 323 “accidental.” The Burmese-American champion pushed back against that characterization immediately.
“I ain’t even gonna lie, man. A little bit,” Van said on The Ariel Helwani Show after his victory. “You know, it was kinda f—ed up that he said that, but you know, much love to Joe Rogan.”
Van explained that Rogan’s opinion carried extra weight because he looks up to the longtime UFC commentator. “To be honest, I don’t really give a f–k what other people say, but Joe Rogan is somebody that I look up to. And for him to say that, you know, it kinda like, damn,” Van said.
Joshua Van says a superfight with Petr Yan can wait, his main mission is to make people care about flyweight:
“Nobody gave a shit about flyweight, and now they’re starting to care about flyweight. I can’t leave them hanging, man.
I don’t give a f*** about [Demetrious Johnson’s]… pic.twitter.com/3R7hdiqHPj
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 22, 2026
The First Fight’s Controversial Ending
The first fight between Van and Pantoja at UFC 323 ended after just 26 seconds. Van caught Pantoja’s head kick, and the Brazilian crashed to the canvas and broke his elbow.
Many observers agreed with Rogan’s assessment that the injury was a freak accident. But Van has always maintained that his defense against the kick caused the outcome.
The judges at UFC 331 scored the rematch 49-46, 48-47, and 50-45 for Van. This improved his professional record to 18-2.
Even after his decisive victory, Van opened his Octagon interview with Rogan by addressing his critics. “A lot of people say that was an accident win the first time,” Van said. “Now, doubt me now.”
Van Says Rogan Doesn’t Owe Him an Apology
Despite being bothered by the comments, Van made it clear he doesn’t expect an apology. “Nah. He doesn’t have to. It just, I just let him know how I feel, you know?” Van said.
Van isn’t the first fighter to be upset by Rogan’s commentary. Former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz also called out Rogan in 2022 after his draw with Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 282.
Rogan told Blachowicz during the Octagon interview that he thought Ankalaev had won the fight. “Joe Rogan, when he stepped into the octagon, he said for him I lost the fight,” Blachowicz told MMA Fighting. “He made a mistake that he say something like this to me after the fight.”
According to the California State Athletic Commission, Pantoja earned $650,000 for the UFC 331 main event. Van received $500,000, making him the second-highest paid fighter on the card despite being the champion.
Betting lines for a potential matchup between Van and Manel Kape have already shifted. Van opened as a -140 favorite, but early betting action on Kape caused the line to flip. Kape is now listed as a slight -115 favorite over Van at -105, according to BetOnline.
