Joshua Van has been summoned to take on Brandon Royval in Las Vegas after Manel Kape pulled out of the fight due to undisclosed reasons.
Van fought very recently at UFC 316, where he secured a third-round TKO win against Bruno Silva, pushing him up the Flyweight rankings.
Likely, the battle is still a title eliminator for the 125-pound title as Royval is looking to regain a title opportunity.
The American Burmese mixed martial artist steps up to his biggest challenge yet, as it’s a high-risk, high-reward fight at UFC 317.
The Fearless’ journey to title eliminator fight
After his knockout loss to Charles Johnson at UFC Denver, Van has been trying to climb his way back up the Flyweight division.
The 23-year-old claimed redemption at UFC 306 when he went the distance with Edgar Chairez to win by unanimous decision.
Less than three months later, the 125-pound contender fought Cody Durden at UFC 313 and once again earned a unanimous decision victory.
Van eventually found himself back in the rankings after defeating Rei Tsuruya via decision at UFC 313, giving many in the MMA community the belief that he is a promising prospect.
Very recently, it seems that the Hakha-born fighter’s win at UFC 316 was a significant statement, as he has been given an opportunity of a lifetime.
If Van is victorious at UFC 317, he may have the chance to become one of the youngest champions in UFC history as he turns 24 in October.
Royval is focusing on his second UFC title shot
‘Raw Dawg’ has previously fought for the Flyweight Championship at UFC 296, where he was unsuccessful against Alexandre Pantoja, losing by unanimous decision.
Since then, he has been eager to get his revenge and prove that he can become the best 125-pound fighter in the world.
Just two months after his title bout, Royval fought former champion Brandon Moreno at UFC Mexico City.
The Denver-born mixed martial artist went to the judges’ scorecards and won by split decision, making him the #1 contender in the Flyweight division.
To prove that he could still be in title contention, Royval faced an undefeated fighter, Tatsuro Taira, who was flying through the ranks.
Once again, the Colorado fighter was successful, edging out a split decision win at UFC Vegas 98, becoming the first man to defeat Taira.
All eyes on the Co-Main Event
The co-headliner for UFC 317 sees Pantoja defend his Flyweight title against the #4 contender, Kai Kara-France.
The King of the 125-pound division is making his fourth title defence, while the Auckland fighter is hoping to make an upset.
Van is not familiar with the two opponents due to being outside the top 10 in the Flyweight rankings.
However, Royval has a history with both co-main eventers.
The American Flyweight has lost to Pantoja twice, with the first bout happening at UFC Vegas 34, where he lost by second-round submission.
But, the #1 contender has defeated Kara-France, which occurred in his second fight with the organisation, where he defeated the Kiwi by second-round submission at UFC 253.
If Kara-France does win the Flyweight belt, Pantoja will likely have the right to rematch the possible new champion.
If Pantoja makes another successful title defence, then the winner between Van and Royval will most definitely claim their golden opportunity.