Joshua Van isn’t in the business of saying no.
Barely 24 hours removed from an impressive stoppage win over Bruno Silva at UFC 316, the 23-year-old flyweight got a call from his manager that he definitely wasn’t expecting. Manel Kape suffered an injury and Brandon Royval needed a new opponent for UFC 317 — and he asked if Van was interested in accepting the opportunity.
“I got the call on Sunday [after fighting on Saturday],” Van told MMA Fighting. “I think he got the same call Sunday when his fight fell off. Because when they called me, I kind of don’t believe it. Manel was there. So when he released that little video, that’s when I was like OK, I’m really fighting him. Both of us know the fight was on Sunday.”
“The manager called and the manager was like ‘do you want to fight Royval?’ and go from there. I mean, the answer is always going to be yes with me when they offer me a fight. This fight, I got everything to gain and not a lot to lose. This is a perfect opportunity God gave me so I can’t say no. When the call came, I was like hell yeah, I want to fight him, especially when he’s at the top, No. 1. This everything I wanted.”
In a perfect world, Van would have a full training camp and more time to prepare for somebody like Royval, who is currently ranked by the UFC as the No. 1 contender in the division after previously battling champion Alexandre Pantoja for the title.
But Van has been begging for the chance to take on higher ranked competition, which is why he initially called out former champion Brandon Moreno following his win in early June.
“I just can’t say no,” Van said. “It’s an honorable fight so I have to take it.
“There’s a reason why I called out [Brandon] Moreno, too, is because all the top 15 guys are matched up. It was just me and him left. That was the reason why I called him out. When Manel is out, I was the only option. Because I know for a fact Moreno ain’t going to step in on three weeks’ notice. He needs a fight camp. For him to take that risk is just stupid. I’m just the only guy that will step in.”
Van admits he doesn’t watch a lot of MMA in his spare time so he wasn’t actually that familiar with Royval’s body of work but he immediately started studying him after getting the nod from the UFC that he was booked for the fight.
Stylistically, Van expects Royval to approach him with a similar mindset and that could make for an explosive matchup at UFC 317.
“Not too familiar. I don’t really watch fights like that [but] he’s the No. 1 for a reason,” Van said.
“He’s got the same style I have. Put the pressure on guys until they break. I think is just going to be like who outsmarts who. It’s not going to be the strongest but the smartest fighter will win the fight. I’ve just got to outsmart him on everything.”
While he accepted the fight regardless of the circumstances, Van knows just how much he has to gain with a win over somebody like Royval on Saturday.
With reigning champion Alexandre Pantoja facing Kai Kara-France on the same card after already vanquishing most of the top contenders in the division, Van expects he’ll jump the line for a title shot if he gets past Royval.
“When I beat the No. 1 guy, I’ll be the No. 1 guy,” Van said. “After this fight, I’m going to have to fight for the belt. That’s the only thing left. What else am I supposed to do? I beat Royval, should I go back and fight [someone else]?
“Thank you to Royval for giving me this opportunity. He could say no I’ll wait. But he is a dog. He gave me this opportunity so shout out to that guy.”
Fighting on just three weeks’ notice might be the biggest downside to this fight but Van recognizes that the rewards far outweigh the risks.
If he’s able to go out there and beat Royval at UFC 317 with the flyweight title going up for grabs just two fights later on the main card, Van is reminded of a similar scenario that unfolded in the middleweight division back in 2022.
“That’s what’s going to make a better storyline of who’s going to fight for the belt,” Van explained. “We’re on the same card. Kind of like [Israel] Adesanya and Alex Pereira. It’s going to be like that. Picture perfect.”
At UFC 276, Israel Adesanya defeated Jared Cannonier in the main event but prior to his appearance, Alex Pereira scored a brutal knockout over Sean Strickland that cemented his standing as the No. 1 contender in the division.
Van would love nothing more than to find himself in a similar position after Saturday night is wrapped.
He also credits the UFC for thinking of him for this kind of an opportunity as Van approaches his ninth appearance in the promotion in only two years’ time.
“I feel like the UFC has done a good job of giving me the matchups that they gave me,” Van said. “I feel like they built me up from the ground up. Because remember when I lost my fight, had I won that fight, I’m going to start fighting the top guys quick. I might not be ready for them guys but now I feel like that loss pulled me back and I got two more fights on ranked guys. I got to fight two other ranked guys and I fought Cody [Durden].
“I feel like the matchups have prepared me for this type of fight. So shout out to Mick [Maynard] and shout out to the UFC for giving me right matchups and building me the right way.”
