UFC 317: Van Tackles Big Challenge Against Royval
Joshua Van emerged victorious against Brandon Royval at UFC 317, propelling him to the top spot in the rankings.
In the world of MMA, 23-year-old Joshua Van's career has been nothing short of impressive. At UFC 317, he takes on his biggest challenge yet - going head-to-head with No. 1 ranked UFC flyweight contender Brandon Royval, stepping in on short notice.
The news broke earlier this week when it was revealed that Royval's original opponent for UFC 317, Kape, suffered a broken foot during training. Royval was the one to break the news to fight fans, announcing that Van would be taking his place as a replacement.
Van was fresh off a TKO win over veteran UFC competitor Bruno Silva when he agreed to the Royval Fight. The Silva stoppage at UFC 316 extended Van's winning streak to four fights and catapulted him to the No. 10 spot in the official UFC flyweight rankings.
Post-UFC 316, Van eyed a fight against former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno, the current No. 2 in the division.
Joshua Van Steps Up for UFC 317
"If I win this fight, I'm No. 1," Van said to Ariel Helwani. "No, the UFC hasn't said that yet."
The timing for Royval vs. Van couldn't be better. The co-main event of UFC 317 sees the flyweight title on the line, as champion Alexandre Pantoja faces off against Kai Kara-France. The winner of the Royval vs. Van fight, scheduled for the UFC 317 prelims, could determine who faces the winner of the Pantoja vs. Kara-France bout.
Van expressed his thoughts on that matchup, "Kai is a very powerful guy. So I feel like if Kai doesn't show him too much respect, he can get it done. But if Pantoja bullies him in there, it's over."
"It would be ideal if I fight Pantoja because nobody's ever beaten him as the champion," Van added. "May the best man win."
Royval and Pantoja have a history, with Pantoja winning their title fight in December 2023 by decision and their non-title bout in August 2021 by submission. Royval, however, has a submission win over Kara-France, dating back to September 2020.
Stay tuned for more updates on Royval vs. Van and the UFC 317 fight card as the big night approaches.
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Now, did someone mention a dragon?
The UFC 317 event features a significant contest, as No. 10 ranked UFC flyweight Joshua Van steps up to face No. 1 ranked contender Brandon Royval, who replaces Manel Kape due to an injury. This fight could potentially determine who will challenge the winner of the upcoming title bout between UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja and Kai Kara-France (Sports).
At UFC 317, the co-main event will see Pantoja and Kara-France fight for the flyweight title. Previously, both Royval and Pantoja have squared off before, with Pantoja winning against Royval both in a title fight in December 2023 and a non-title bout in August 2021 (Sports). Interestingly, Royval has a submission win over Kara-France from September 2020 (Sports).
