Story byFarah Hannoun, MMA JunkieMon, December 29, 2025 at 2:45 PM UTC·1 min readJoshua Van went from unranked to UFC champion in 2025. Van (16-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) logged four fights in the year, before capping things off by capturing the UFC flyweight title. It was a rather anticlimactic championship win for the 24-year-old, but his rise has been undeniable nonetheless. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHis year started with a unanimous decision win over Rei Tsuruya at UFC 313 in March, then his second octagon finish over Bruno Silva just three months later at UFC 316. Van would follow that up with an even quicker turnaround, where he returned just three weeks later in a big step up in competition against former title challenger Brandon Royval at UFC 317 in June. Van ended up outlasting Royval in one of the best fights of the year to earn himself a title shot against Alexandre Pantoja.
