Joshua Van won the belt, but it was hardly the kind of coronation most champions dream of. At UFC 323, his title fight with Alexandre Pantoja ended abruptly 26 seconds in after the longstanding flyweight king suffered a gruesome injury, unexpectedly ending one reign and beginning another in a highly odd manner. For many fans, it raised an unpleasant question about the division: was Van truly crowned, or did chaos simply gift him the gold?

Van clearly has his answer. He doesn’t see what happened as bad luck, fortuitous timing, or an unfortunate accident. In fact, he believes he directly caused it.

“I didn’t think it was an accident,” he said in a recent interview. “I made it happen. He kicked me; I pushed him.

“I think a black belt should know how to fall.”

It is a bold claim, but it shows Van’s perspective on the moment—not as a gift, but as an exchange he forced, a physical sequence he initiated, and a mistake by an experienced champion that he believes should never have occurred. That is the mindset of a fighter who rejects an asterisk right next to his name as the champion.

This isn’t the first time ‘The Fearless’ retaliated against fan opinion, as he had the same level of bluntness during his post-fight press conference at T-Mobile Arena.

“F— them,” Van said bluntly of the fans who are dismissing his win. “If you do good, they will talk s—. If you do bad, they will talk s—.

“So do what makes you happy. It don’t matter what they think, man. I won.”

To him, champions are not judged by how cleanly the belt changes hands but by whose waist it ends up around. And, at just 24, after racking up four wins in 2025 and becoming one of the youngest champions in UFC history, he seems to be embracing this as the start of his era rather than a disputed beginning. However, fans for sure are disagreeing with this narrative.

Joshua Van sparks fan fury with his bold defense of the ‘fluke’ narrative

Joshua Van may claim he was responsible for Alexandre Pantoja’s injury, but much of the MMA world does not believe him. In fact, his confident defense of the finish has only poured fuel on a fire that was already burning, transforming what could have been sympathy into outright hostility. And many fans keep coming back to the same word: fluke.

So, as expected, the reaction online has been brutal. Several fans online called out ‘The Fearless’ for not being humble after the win, with many admitting that the champion sure is getting on their nerves. One fan wrote, “Van is playing the villain you want to see lose. Love or hate him. He got your attention. Having said all that, hope he gets KO cold.”

Another followed a similar tone: “Can’t wait to watch this clown get choked unconscious.” More chimed in with comments such as, “It’s unbearable how Van has acted since fluking the belt,” and “He’s really turned the fan opinion on him. Everyone loved him before.”

The other group of fans decided to humble Joshua Van themselves with a reality check. Many dropped brutal reality checks such as “If they did that exact same exchange 1000x, it would happen that once lol” and “He knows how lucky he got; literally the only possible way he was gonna win that night.”

Another added, “Van’s talking like he snapped Pantoja’s leg with a shove.” One more chimed in with a simple line that hits the hardest, “You caused it but doesnt mean it’s not a fluke.”

That is why his upcoming fight is so vital. Van is already set to defend his championship against Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328 after getting cancelled in the first place, but the fight already feels like more than just a first defense. It is a referendum.

If he wins decisively against Taira, his claims about ushering in a new era gain real weight. However, if he fails, the “fluke champion” narrative will only grow stronger. Either way, Van has done something every star eventually must do: he has piqued people’s interest in what comes next.