Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja were respectful and cordial during every interaction leading up to their first encounter but the same can’t be said for the rematch at UFC 331.
A pre-fight press conference announcing the rematch saw Van and Pantoja at each other’s throats, just waiting for the chance to settle some unfinished business. The bad blood turned so volatile at that press conference that Pantoja went as far as saying Dana White actually stopped the former flyweight champion from slapping
Van during the event.
In fact, Pantoja added that he comes from an era where disrespect like what Van has shown leading up to UFC 331 should result in him getting slapped by a parent.
“As far as I checked, I’m his dad,” Van said during UFC 331 media day on Wednesday. “I don’t know what he was talking about. The shit that he’s been saying, he should get smacked for that.
“He was being respectful after the fight and [now] he’s doing interviews and things like that, making me the bad guy. I told him we were going to fight again so I don’t know what his deal was. It was just annoying.”
The animosity between the flyweights stems from the first fight between them ending under odd circumstances. Pantoja suffered a freak injury just seconds into the contest and when he couldn’t continue, Van was crowned the new UFC flyweight champion.
As Pantoja recovered, Van embraced his new role as champion and went on to battle Tatsuro Taira in one of the best fights of the year as he retained his 125-pound title in victory.
Van believes Pantoja is just angry he lost his spot at the top of the division so now the Brazilian is trying to tear him down every chance he gets.
“He’s trying to be this guy, where [he’s] the good guy,” Van said. “Trying to put me [in the bad guy role]. I don’t mind. It’s the way he said it. Even in the Countdown videos, he’s trying to fix my arm and he was saying the video they showed was him saying ‘no more.’
“It’s funny to me. We’re going to fight on Saturday and find out who is the better man.’’
In reality, Van doesn’t seem to care much what Pantoja has to say or what else he might say over the next couple of days leading to UFC 331.
If anything, Van feels Pantoja is a little delusional with his takes on the fight, but also knows by now that the former campion just doesn’t like him very much and that comes across in every single thing he says.
“That’s because the things that he’s been saying. He doesn’t even believe it,” Van said. “When I point that out, it just pisses him off I guess.
“I’m just going to be myself. As far as I know he can’t stand me so I’m just going to be myself.”
