Van Soars To No. 3 After Pantoja Win

Joshua Van has vaulted into the top three of MMA Fighting's pound-for-pound rankings after beating Alexandre Pantoja for the second time at UFC 331.

The flyweight champion, who turns 25 next month, jumped from 11th to third in the latest update following his five-round decision over the former titleholder. Only Islam Makhachev and Petr Yan rank ahead of him now, per the outlet's five-person voting panel.

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Van's Path To The Top Of Pound-For-Pound

The pair's first fight last December ended when Pantoja suffered a severe elbow dislocation. Saturday's rematch settled the question. Van controlled the action across 25 minutes, leaving no room for debate about who holds the belt.

Should Yan lose his trilogy with Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 333 in October, Van could slide into the number two spot. And with Makhachev's career timeline uncertain, the door to the top could swing open faster than expected. Demetrious Johnson remains the only flyweight to reach number one in most major rankings.

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Van's immediate future includes a likely defence against Manel Kape, the former RIZIN standout whose striking and scrambling present a legitimate threat. Elsewhere in the rankings, Arman Tsarukyan moved up after his first-round knockout of Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331, while Alexa Grasso returned to the women's top ten following her decision over Manon Fiorot at Noche UFC.

Van defends against a dangerous challenger next, but his ceiling looks limitless.

Reported via:

• MMA Fighting — MMA Pound-for-Pound Rankings: Is Joshua Van destined to claim the No. 1 spot?