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Joshua Van explains why he ranks Alexandre Pantoja over Demetrious Johnson in flyweight GOAT debate

Originally posted on Bloody Elbow | By Kyle Dimond | Last updated Dec 4, 2025 8:04 PM ET

Joshua Van believes that he’s fighting the greatest flyweight of all time this Saturday.

A new star arrived in the flyweight division when Van defeated Brandon Royval in a fight of the year contender at UFC 317 in June.

At just 24 years old, his constant activity and relentless output have made him one of the most exciting prospects in the sport.

On the same night that he won a title eliminator to skyrocket up the rankings, Van faced off with Alexandre Pantoja to set up the next flyweight title fight.

The challenger recently explained why he believes that the man he will face in the co-main event of UFC 323 on December 6 is the greatest fighter in the history of the weight class.

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Joshua Van admits he hasn’t watched much of Demetrious Johnson when ranking flyweight GOATs

Demetrious Johnson turned down Alexandre Pantoja’s call to come out of retirement and challenge him for the flyweight title in December of 2024.

‘Mighty Mouse’ announced his retirement several months before, leaving behind an incredible legacy.

The inaugural UFC flyweight champion produced the most consecutive title defenses in the history of the promotion (11) to make him a contender for the greatest of all time, let alone the greatest 125-pound fighter.

Rank these legendary UFC fighters in order of greatness.

Who takes the top spot in your GOAT list? Let us know in the comments.

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However, when stating that he doesn’t agree with the “new vs old” narrative surrounding his UFC 323 matchup, Joshua Van referred to Pantoja as the best flyweight of all time.

Van, who earned two statement wins in June to find himself in this position, has only been in the UFC since June of 2023.

He pointed to this and the time in which he started watching the UFC as why he ranks Pantoja over Johnson in the flyweight GOAT debate.

“Well, I started watching UFC fights after 2017 so like I didn’t really see Johnson fight,” Van told MMA Fighting. “All I see is Pantoja. When he got the belt, that was when I made my debut and things like that so I was kinda used to seeing him at the top so that’s why I say he’s the greatest of all time.”

Joshua Van will become the second-youngest UFC champion of all time if he wins

Joshua Van made his UFC debut, a split decision win over Zhalgas Zhumagulov, just several weeks before Alexandre Pantoja defeated Brandon Moreno at UFC 290 to win the flyweight title.

The young contender has suffered a knockout loss during his time in the promotion but he’s been so regularly active that it hasn’t impacted his trajectory too much.

If he wins at UFC 323, he will become the second-youngest UFC champion of all time.

He’d still be a considerable amount older than Jon Jones, who holds the record, but he’d still be above Jose Aldo who was promoted to the inaugural UFC featherweight champion in 2010.

This article first appeared on Bloody Elbow and was syndicated with permission.

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