Joshua Van has been involved in some bangers since making his UFC debut in June of 2023, and he expects to be entrenched in another one this weekend.
Van, 23, meets Cody Durden in a flyweight bout Saturday at UFC 310 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Van (11-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) knows the type of challenge that’s in front of him.
“He’s a tough guy. He’s a very, very tough guy,” Van told MMA Junkie Radio. “Skill wise, he’s not all that, but he’s got heart. He’ll come forward, and I’ll come forward, so this fight is gonna be a straight-up banger.”
Four of Van’s five UFC fights have reached the third round, which hasn’t exactly been the plan, but he welcomes it.
“The goal is to knock them out as fast as possible,” Van said. “We don’t get paid for overtime, but I’m excited to be in those types of fights, too. Those types of fights is what’s hyping me up for camp and everything.”
Van said after this fight to end 2024, he’s already looking ahead and wanting to be as active as possible in 2025. Given his ambitious plan, it would behoove Van to be on the winning end of a first-round finish against Durden.
“Next year is gonna be the takeover, you know what I mean?” Van said. “If it goes as planned, I want to stay active at least five fights to six. That would be crazy. That would be amazing. I just want to stay active next year.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.
