Van Reveals Why He Flipped Poirier Footage

Joshua Van used to flip Dustin Poirier's fight footage horizontally before studying it.

The UFC flyweight champion, who defended his title against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331 earlier this month, told Ariel Helwani he reversed Poirier's tape because the former lightweight contender fights southpaw while Van is orthodox. "He's got my style of fighting," Van said, per Helwani's show. "He's a boxing-based fighter, kind of like Petr Yan, Ilia."

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Van's Study Habits Focus On Petr Yan

Van confirmed to Helwani that he pulls techniques from multiple elite strikers, including featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, but spends the most time watching Yan. "I like to study one of the greats and just put it into my game," he said. "Petr Yan really is the one that I really watch."

Sherdog reports that Van has become a fan favorite for his boxing-heavy approach. His next challenger has not been announced, though Manel Kape is considered the frontrunner.

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Yan is scheduled to defend his bantamweight title in a trilogy bout against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 333.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Joshua Van reveals why he used to flip Dustin Poirier fight footage