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As a 21-year-old fighter with seven fights under his belt, Joshua Van is out to redefine what an active fighter is.
The landscape of the MMA world is getting younger and younger, so the idea of a 21-year-old fighter holding a record or 6-1 is no longer a foreign concept. Chase Hooper, Raul Rosas Jr. and many others began training at an early age and made their mark well before their legal drinking or even voting age. Joshua Van of Fury FC may be “behind” in comparison to those two, but Van’s entire career of seven professional and four amateur fights have come in the span of only two years.
“I trained late,” Van said. “I started when I was 17 or 18.”
Had the 21-year-old flyweight started his career side-by-side with the young guns of the UFC, he feels he would have been a mainstay of the UFC roster by this point.
Top Knockouts | Flyweight
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Top Knockouts | Flyweight
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Van isn’t just a guy who likes to fight and get a nice paycheck once a month by taking a fight. Van is invested in his training and his career and feels that with every fight he takes, he is improving, and he is rapidly becoming a major prospect in the flyweight division.
“I’ll definitely slow down later,” Van said. “The main goal is getting to the UFC and to get to the UFC you’ve got to fight whenever they call you. I’m just staying ready. It’s not that I want to fight less when I’m in the UFC. Just the most fights you can get in the UFC is like six or seven. Eventually I think I’ll have to slow down but if they can get me a fight every f*****g month in the UFC I’m going to fight every f*****g month.”
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Fury FC President Eric Garcia is as high on the Texas prospect as the next guy, but is already having to find himself slowing Van’s fight output, which comes as a comedic burden to Van.
“I’m not going to lie, I want to fight every week,” Van laughed. “It’s amazing to have a guy like Eric Garcia looking out for you. I stay ready. I can fight every week. My weight’s not too bad. I walk around on weight. I’m on weight right now. I can fight every week. I feel blessed to be a part of Fury.”
Top Submissions | Flyweight
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there’s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world’s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there’s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world’s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
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Top Submissions | Flyweight
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At face value, one of the worries about a fighter who can remain as active as Van has is that he must not be pushing himself in fights if he’s able to fight week in and week out. Van understands the logic but assures everybody there’s no depth he won’t dig to.
“Whatever I need to do in there, I’ll do,” Van said. “Some fights are just easier. Some fights I’ve got to bring the dog out in me. It doesn’t really matter what style I can fight."
WATCH: Get Ready For UFC 281: Adesanya vs Pereira With Free Fights!
Van’s goal isn’t simply to land in the UFC one day. He’s out to be the most active fighter in the company every year. As one of the strongest surging flyweight prospects out there, it isn’t crazy to believe he might not be far away.
Catch Joshua Van back in action at Fury FC 71 Sunday, November 6, ONLY on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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