Joshua Van slams critics of UFC 323 title win in vulgar response

Joshua Van didn’t want to earn a world title the way he did at UFC 323, but he has some fiery words for the critics.

Van entered T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday with hopes of defeating Alexandre Pantoja to become a UFC champion for the first time in his young MMA career. The 24-year-old entered the fight with a ton of momentum off his unanimous decision win over Brandon Royval.

As it turned out, Van defeated Pantoja in 26 seconds, but it wasn’t due to a spectacular showing. Instead, Pantoja suffered a nasty shoulder injury that quickly put an end to the fight. As a result, Van was awarded the TKO victory.

During the UFC 323 post-fight press conference, Van went off on those who target him over their frustration with how things played out (h/t MMAJunkie).

“F*ck them,” Van said. “If you do good, they’ll talk sh*t, and if you do bad, they’ll talk sh*t, so do what makes you happy. It don’t matter what they think, I won.”

Still, Van didn’t want his win to be marred by such circumstances. He’s willing to give Pantoja a rematch to make things right.

“As soon as he’s recovered, I want to run it back because I respect him so much,” Van said. “He’s one of the greatest of all time, and things like that, so I do want to run back with him.”

The problem is, Pantoja isn’t expected to be cleared to fight again anytime soon. UFC CEO Dana White said that while he isn’t a doctor, it’s easy to see why the now former UFC Flyweight Champion may not been seen inside the Octagon for quite a while.

Luckily for the UFC brass, a new flyweight contender has emerged. Tatsuro Taira scored a TKO finish over Brandon Moreno on Saturday. While the stoppage was controversial, one can’t deny the excitement Taira brings. Many believe Taira matches Van’s crowd pleasing fighting style, which could make for a memorable title fight if the matchup is booked.