Joshua Van’s victory over Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 323 might not have come after a grueling war, but it’s definitely not the first time a UFC title fight ended this way. Back at UFC 168, Chris Weidman defended his middleweight crown against the great Anderson Silva in a similar situation after ‘The Spider’ snapped his leg in round 2. So the former 185 lb king knows exactly what Van is going through right now.

Even though the 24-year-old champion was ready to put on a show against arguably one of the best flyweights ever, ‘The Cannibal’ ended up breaking his shoulder while adjusting himself on the ground from a failed head kick, forcing a stoppage. For a moment, disappointment was written all over Van’s face. Still, he took a second to breathe and accept that he’s officially the champion. Knowing the Myanmar native didn’t want the belt like this, Chris Weidman shared his own experience of fighting Anderson Silva and how he handled the awkwardness of winning that way. 

Chris Weidman gives Joshua Van some much-needed advice after UFC 323 win 

“When Anderson Silva broke his leg on my leg, it was bittersweet. Mine was in the second round, and you just don’t wanna win that way. Because you don’t get to show everything that you worked on,” Weidman said on the About The Last Fight podcast.

Honestly, the former middleweight champ has a point here. When Weidman beat Anderson Silva the first time at UFC 162 and knocked him out in round 2, some fans brushed it off, claiming Silva wasn’t taking the fight seriously. That same criticism rolled right into the rematch when ‘The Spider’ broke his leg. Once again, people questioned whether Weidman actually “beat” him, a debate that still lingers since the two never got to settle things cleanly.

Keeping all that in mind, the ex-middleweight king didn’t hesitate to pass a little wisdom to Joshua Van on how to carry this win with pride, because it’ll only make him stronger.

“It’s unfortunate, but I know from experience, having fought Anderson Silva and seeing the fight end that way, it puts a chip on your shoulder. A lot of people online are unhappy that it finished like this. There are unanswered questions, and he’s gonna have to live with that. But that’s the kind of thing that stews inside you and makes you a better fighter,” Weidman added on the podcast.

That was definitely a deep conversation between a legend and a rising star, and it didn’t end there. Chris Weidman went even further, giving more personal advice to Joshua Van. 

Weidman gets more candid with new champ 

Whatever the night looked like for Joshua Van at UFC 323, the reality is he’s now the second-youngest champion after Jon Jones. But that’s not all. Van is officially the first fighter born after 2000 to win a UFC gold belt, and on top of that, he’s also the first Asian-born male champion in Dana White’s promotion. That’s a massive achievement by any standard.

However, even though the Myanmar fighter is on top of the world right now, he chose to follow his faith and pray with his family instead of going out and celebrating the way most 24-year-olds would. That dedication to faith and family really touched Chris Weidman, who encouraged Van to hold onto those values.

“At 24 years old, you won the world championship. You were the man, and the first thing you wanna do is go back and thank God and pray with your family? You are super grounded. Is it your family that keeps you grounded?” Weidman asked on the About The Last Fight podcast.

“It’s my family, my faith, my belief. Without him, I would’ve never been here. So I gotta thank the Lord,” Van answered.

“You’re about to be on a whirlwind, and my advice is to make sure you keep that same mentality the whole way,” the former middleweight champ added, talking about Van’s bright future not only as a UFC champion but as an icon to his fans around the world.

That said, what do you think about Joshua Van becoming the flyweight champion after Alexandre Pantoja’s freak shoulder injury? Let us know in the comment section below.