Fight Coverage
Matchup To Watch | Joshua Van vs Rei Tsuruya
Top Flyweight Prospects Collide In A Pivotal Prelim Showdown At UFC 313 This Saturday
UFC flyweight Joshua Van was originally set to face No. 12 ranked Bruno Silva for a shot at climbing back into the rankings—until Silva was forced to withdraw due to injury.
Stepping in is undefeated prospect Rei Tsuruya, who shares the same goal: to make a statement on the UFC 313: Pereira vs Ankalaev prelims this Saturday on ESPN and break into the flyweight Top 15.
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After suffering his first UFC defeat last summer to No. 15 ranked Charles Johnson, Van quickly rebounded with consecutive victories over Edgar Chairez at UFC 306 and Cody Durden just three months later.
Joshua Van Starts 2024 Out With A TKO Win | UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs Walker 2
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Joshua Van Starts 2024 Out With A TKO Win | UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs Walker 2
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At just 23 years old, Van holds a 5-1 record in the UFC and is 10-2 overall as a pro with six knockouts and two submissions. But for the first time in his UFC career, he’ll face someone younger than him in Tsuruya, who is yet to taste defeat despite having the same number of wins.
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The 22-year-old Road to UFC flyweight tournament winner holds an undefeated record of 10-0. While he has less UFC experience than Van, Tsuruya’s three victories on his way to winning the RTU tournament, along with his unanimous decision win over Carlos Hernandez in June of last year, prove he’s ready to challenge established UFC-level competition.
With four knockouts, four submissions and four first-round finishes, Tsuruya is versatile, but his bread and butter is his grappling. In his three RTU bouts, which included a first-round knockout and a second-round submission, Tsuruya secured 12 takedowns and accumulated nearly 17 minutes of ground control time.
Once Tsuruya gets his opponent to the mat, he’s relentless in searching for a submission. In the RTU tournament final against Jiniushiyue, Tsuruya attempted three submissions before ultimately ground-and-pounding his way to victory, all in just the first round.
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It’s a completely different story for Van, who landed 184 and 183 total strikes, respectively, in his last two outings. In his most recent fight, Van dominated Cody Durden for 15 minutes, including a one-sided second round where he out struck Durden 73-27 while stuffing three takedown attempts.
While Van is no slouch on the mat, this matchup looks to be a striker versus grappler affair, with the winner being decided by where the fight plays out the longest, standing or on the ground.
Both athletes will be aiming for an impressive win in a flyweight division that is already seeing significant movement in the rankings in 2025. This past weekend, Manel Kape stopped Asu Almabayev to strengthen his position in the flyweight title picture. Later this month, former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno headlines UFC’s return to Mexico City against Steve Erceg.
With the champion having five victories over current Top 8 flyweight contenders, the time is now for rising prospects to make their move. UFC 313: Pereira vs Ankalaev presents the perfect opportunity for both of these fighters to put their names further on the map.
UFC 313: Pereira vs Ankalaev took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 8, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!