Joshua Van can't be denied after UFC 331.
After winning the title in unceremonious fashion in December, Van (17-2 MMA, 11-1 UFC) solidified his position as flyweight champion Saturday at Crypto.com Arena when he put a beating on Alexandre Pantoja (30-7 MMA, 14-5 UFC) to win a unanimous decision in their rematch.
Despite his claims to the contrary, there's no doubt there was a asterisk next to Van's reign after Pantoja saw his long run on top of the division come to an end at UFC 323 when he went down with an arm injury just 26 seconds into the fight.
We waited nine months for the rematch, and it's fair to say Van left no question about who is the better fighter. That's not to overlook the debatable 50-45 scorecard handed in by judge Ron McCarthy.
It was certainly closer than that, but anyone who thinks Pantoja should've left Los Angeles with that belt is lying to themselves.
Pantoja was unsurprisingly tough for all 25 minutes, but that only created a more incredible fight. It will go down with the top Fight of the Year nominees, and for Van, it puts him on the list twice after his memorable battle with Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328 in May.
It's pretty clear after this fight that Van's next title challenger should Manel Kape (23-7 MMA, 8-3 UFC), who is riding five straight wins and four consecutive knockouts. He has the power to end Van's time as champion with one punch, and it's a very compelling matchup for the belt.
The bigger question after UFC 331 isn't who Van's next fight will be again. But rather when.
Van revealed post-fight that he tore his AC joint prior to the event and had his training limited largely to cardio. He was optimistic about his return timeline, but for a 24-year-old with so much promise, who has been in multiple hard fights in the past 18 months, it's probably wise to step away for a bit.
Van appears to have the complete package in terms of his youth, passion, skillset, personality and other intangibles. All the potential to be an all-time great is right there. The only real concern around his name at this point should be whether these types of fights will limit his longevity. And when looking at the prospect of a showdown against Kape, he should make sure he's as close to 100 percent as possible.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Mick Maynard's Shoes: What's next for Joshua Van after UFC 331 title defense?
