Joshua Van

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.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Van made his professional MMA debut in 2021. He fought 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.

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. This made him the first Burmese fighter to sign with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He won the fight by split decision.

The bout between Van and Borjas was rescheduled on November 11, 2023, at UFC 295. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Van faced Felipe Bunes, replacing Denys Bondar on January 13, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 234. He won the fight by second-round technical knockout.

Van was scheduled to face Lucas Rocha, replacing Jose Johnson on April 6, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 240. However, Rocha withdrew due to injury and the bout was scrapped.

Van was scheduled to face Su Mudaerji on June 1, 2024, at UFC 302. However, Su pulled out in late April due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Tatsuro Taira. 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. 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.

Van faced Charles Johnson on July 13, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 59. He lost the fight via knockout in the third round.

Van faced Édgar Cháirez, replacing Kevin Borjas on September 14, 2024, at UFC 306. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Van faced Cody Durden on December 7, 2024, at UFC 310. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Van was scheduled to face Bruno Gustavo da Silva on March 8, 2025, at UFC 313. However, Silva pulled out due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Road to UFC Season 2 flyweight winner Rei Tsuruya. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Personal life

Van's father died in 2017 and as of July 2025, he lives with his mother. Van is a Christian.

Van is an avid fan of McDonald's and has mentioned to various media sources that he eats it for breakfast every morning, even during training camp.

Championships and accomplishments

Ultimate Fighting Championship

UFC Flyweight Championship (One time, current)

Two successful title defenses

Tied (Deiveson Figueiredo & Brandon Moreno) for third most title fight wins in UFC Flyweight division history (3)

Second youngest champion in UFC history (24 years, 57 days)

First Burmese-born champion in UFC history

Second Asian-born male champion in UFC history

First UFC champion born in the 2000s

Fastest knockout in a UFC flyweight title fight (0:26) (vs. Alexandre Pantoja 1)

Fight of the Night (Three times) vs. Brandon Royval, Tatsuro Taira and Alexandre Pantoja 2

Second highest significant strikes landed per minute in UFC history (8.26) (behind Carli Judice)

Highest significant strikes landed-per-minute in UFC Flyweight division history (8.26)

Highest striking differential in UFC Flyweight division history (2.43)

Most significant strikes landed in UFC Flyweight division history (1411)

Second most total strikes landed in UFC Flyweight division history (1825) (behind Tim Elliott)