Joshua Van Responds to Criticism of Championship Celebration at UFC 323

Some believe Joshua Van shouldn’t have celebrated his title win, given how he won. 

Alexandre Pantoja looked to defend his flyweight title for the fifth time against Van at UFC 323 in Las Vegas earlier this month. The fight unfortunately ended in less than half a minute as Pantoja dislocated his left elbow while trying to balance himself as Van attempted to dump him on the canvas. An emotional Van celebrated his win, becoming the second youngest UFC champion in history. 

However, Van (16-2) faced some backlash for celebrating the win despite Pantoja’s (30-6) injury.  Responding to fans, Van explains that he couldn’t help but enjoy the initial feeling of winning UFC gold, regardless of how the fight played out. Van also notes that he spoke to Pantoja when he saw the Brazilian still grimacing in pain. Myanmar’s Van has always maintained that he wants a rematch with Pantoja.

Mixed Feelings

“At first, I was just celebrating the win of me getting the belt, and when I looked back at Pantoja, he was still hurting, I walked up to him and I said, ‘Hey man, I’m sorry the fight went this way,’” Van told ESPN. “But at the same time, I was happy with me fulfilling my dream. It was mixed feelings, but I do want to run it back with him.”

Pantoja is already back to light training while recovering from his injury. His team revealed that the injury isn’t too concerning and the former champ should be back in action soon. 

This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com

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