Joshua Van reveals a surprising gap in his knowledge about Demetrious Johnson, but it wasn’t for lack of respect—it was simply timing. The 24-year-old UFC flyweight champion explains that his introduction to Johnson didn’t happen until after he joined ONE Championship in 2019. In fact, Van was just 16 years old when Johnson completed his remarkable run as UFC flyweight champion, defending the belt a record 11 times from 2013 to 2017.
Johnson, widely hailed as the greatest 125-pound fighter of all time, inspired many future competitors. Yet Van admits his viewing habits didn’t include Johnson’s UFC era until years later. He says he only began following UFC fights after 2017, which is part of why he now views Alexandre Pantoja as the flyweight GOAT (greatest of all time) in discussions outside of Johnson’s UFC tenure.
I swear I didn’t know he was in the UFC,” Van joked on the JAXXON Podcast. He recalls first seeing Johnson’s highlights during his ONE Championship days, particularly the moment when Johnson knocked out Adriano Moraes with a flying knee—a sequence that circulated widely and left a lasting impression. That clip played on repeat, but Van says he never watched Johnson’s UFC fights, until later when their paths crossed in the MMA world.
Van earned the UFC flyweight title in December at UFC 323, when he claimed the belt from Pantoja via a TKO due to an injury. Looking ahead, he’s slated to defend the title for the first time against Tatsuro Taira (18-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) at UFC 327 on April 11, with the venue set at the Kaseya Center in Miami.
Controversy note: This story challenges the assumption that every top fighter grows up worshiping the same legends. It raises questions about how familiarity with past eras shapes today’s rivalries and rankings. Do you think Van’s late introduction to Johnson should affect Johnson’s standing in all-time debates, or should impact be judged by present performance and current era contributions? Share your thoughts in the comments.
