Van Reveals Shoulder Tear Nearly Scrapped UFC 331 Defense

Joshua Van tore his shoulder five weeks before UFC 331 and barely sparred for the final stretch of camp, the flyweight champion revealed this week.

Van, who beat Alexandre Pantoja by decision at the Los Angeles card, told Dominick Cruz on the "Love & War" podcast that he landed awkwardly in training and woke up unable to move his arm. "I landed on my shoulder, and we just thought it was just like a little pain, and then the next day out of nowhere I can't move my shoulder no more," he said, per BJPenn.com.

Van Cut Recovery Short To Make Fight Night

The UFC medical staff diagnosed a tear and administered a stem cell injection, but the standard two-week recovery window ate half his remaining prep time. Van skipped the rest period and ran instead. "They say two weeks off, but then it was already five weeks out," he explained. "So, I'm like, 'How am I supposed to take these two weeks off, right?' So, I was doing nothing but running."

When he finally resumed sparring two weeks out, Van admitted he hesitated to throw his right hand because of lingering pain. The injury forced him to rebuild timing and rhythm in a compressed window, with the title on the line against a former champion.

Van gutted out a unanimous decision in a five-round slugfest that earned Fight of the Night honors. Manel Kape is widely viewed as the next flyweight challenger. Van plans to rest after the grueling camp and the war with Pantoja.

Reported via:

• BJPenn — Joshua Van details injury that nearly derailed UFC 331 title defense: “I can’t move my shoulder no more”