Dana White has presided over every great rivalry the UFC has ever produced — from Ortiz vs. Shamrock to McGregor vs. Diaz to Jones vs. Cormier. At the UFC 331 post-fight press conference, he told reporters that what he had just watched in Los Angeles belonged in that company, and might sit at the top of it.
“Twenty-five minutes settled what twenty-six seconds couldn't — and the boss thinks the sport has never seen a grudge match quite like it.”
If the five-round rematch between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja qualifies as a grudge match, White said, then it is probably the greatest grudge match in the history of the UFC.
Hard to argue with the sentiment, even if ranking it is impossible. The rematch settled the only question left hanging from UFC 323's 26-second non-ending, when an injury cut the first meeting short and left the flyweight division's most important question unanswered. At UFC 331, there were no such ambiguities: Van and Pantoja went the full 25 minutes, both left the Octagon bloodied, and while one judge had it 48-47, the outcome was never really in doubt. The war earned both men Fight of the Night honors.
White went further, praising the 24-year-old champion as the best thing to ever happen to the flyweight division — a young star who keeps improving every time he fights, exactly the kind of talent a long-reigning champion is built from.
Then came the revelation that reframes the entire night. Van told the press conference he had torn the AC joint in his right shoulder during camp, after the August press tour, and spent the bulk of his preparation unable to spar — doing cardio and conditioning work while his team managed the injury, only returning to full contact in the final two weeks. He still needs further medical evaluation on the shoulder.
Read that again: the most complete performance of Van's championship reign — a second defense, a second win over one of the greatest flyweights of all time, and the signature victory of the UFC 331 card — came from a champion who could barely use his right arm for most of camp.
The flyweight division has a new king, a promoter who believes he is witnessing history, and a rivalry that now has a definitive ending. What it does not yet have is a timeline for when its injured champion returns. That is the next story to watch — and after what Van just did compromised, the rest of the division should be worried about what he looks like healthy.
