The Provincial Management Committee of the Department of Education (DepEd) Bulacan Cluster visited Baliwag City three days ago for a meeting focused on important matters concerning the continued development of the education sector. The visit served as an opportunity for members of the management committee to convene in the city and discuss various concerns, priorities,…
Van Looks to Erase the Asterisk in Flyweight Title Rematch
By Jiles Dela Fuente
Joshua Van’s first title didn’t feel earned, not to him, or anyone watching.
Nine months ago, he won the flyweight belt in the strangest way imaginable – not through a war, but through a whimper, when Alexandre Pantoja’s arm gave out just 30 seconds into their fight. Van was crowned, but it felt hollow. The belt was his, yet the respect wasn’t. On Saturday at UFC 331, he aims to earn both.
A second win over Pantoja doesn’t just avenge that awkward ending; it erases it. It is Van’s chance to turn the asterisk into a footnote. It will prove that he isn’t a champion by default, but by proof.
Joshua Van has already started building that proof when he stopped Tatsuro Taira in his first defense, making the skeptics take notice. MMA Fighting’s Alexander K. Lee even mentioned that Van is “still improving and fast.”
With flyweight being one of the deepest divisions in the UFC— Manel Kape, Ramazon Temirov, and Asu Almabayev are all lurking near the top, and Damon Martin argues the weight class has too many elite fighters for anyone to truly dominate.
But Jed Mashew sees it differently. He believes that this is Van’s timing.
He won the belt young, and young champions tend to hold onto it. The version of him that claimed the title was already his worst; every version after that only gets better.
Joshua Van made his UFC debut in 2023 and reached the top in under three years. A quick climb for a young fighter, and on Saturday is about proving it’s a climb that lasts.
