September 9, 2026 • 8 mins
Joshua Van joined The Dan Mathews Show to discuss his upcoming rematch with Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331, sharing his thoughts on the matchup and what he expects heading into the fight.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
And we are talking UFC 331. This man is going
to be a huge part of it coming up on Saturday,
September 19th from Crypto.com Arena out there in L.A. He's
a Houston guy, trains here in the H over at
4-Ounce Fight Club. He is Joshua Vann, and he joins
us right now. Hey, Joshua, man, big fan of your
work and really look forward to seeing you go up
(00:21):
against Alexandre Pantoja. But I mean, just talking about your
Houston roots here, I know that you're over with Jeremy
and the crew over there at four ounce. I mean,
just what does the H mean to you? And what
does it mean to have the support of everybody here
in Houston?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Speaker 4 05,0 Man, I feel, I feel, I feel
amazing to represent Houston. You know, Houston raised me. I
was born in Myanmar, but Houston raised me. So I
see Houston as my own city and it, it feel
amazing to represent Houston, Texas and course, UFC three, three, one,
you know, we're going to show out for a season.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Speaker 2 and I mean, it's not only you that's
from here. I mean, I don't think a lot of
people realize the Houston connection that's currently in the UFC.
I mean, Derek Lewis, a Houston guy. I mean, is
that kind of a point of pride that y'all have where,
I mean, obviously Albuquerque, you know, with Holly home and
that whole crew of there and you just, you know,
all of the Southern California gyms, but like his Houston
(01:16):
kind of starting to put themselves on the map.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Yeah, for sure, man. You know, my head coach, Daniel Pineda,
was the first guy to.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Make it to the UFC from Houston. And, you know,
I'm the first champion. So, you know what I mean?
History repeats itself.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
And, you know, the community, the Houston community, the MMA
community is going up for sure.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Again, Joshua Vann, UFC fighter, joining us here on the
Dan Matthews Show Sports Talk 790 as Vann looking to
defend his UFC flyweight championship against Alexandria Pantoja coming up
here in about 10 days out in Los Angeles. I mean,
we hear about it all the time of going through
a camp, and I don't think a lot of people
(01:58):
necessarily understand that. Kind of take us through the basics
of what it means to be in camp to get
ready for a fight.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Man, the camp is hard.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
You know, we just have to be 100% locked in
every day. And camp is hard, but like I said,
the hard work is over. You know, in 10 days,
we're going to have.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Fun in the cage. So you guys will see the
work we put in.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
And it's kind of hard to believe this is going
to be your first main event that you've ever had
in your career. I mean, when you think of the
fighters that come through there, what does that mean to you?
Speaker 2 (02:28):
It means amazing, you know, for a flyweight to headline.
In a big car like this, it feels amazing, man,
which is riding history.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
And again, Joshua Vann joining us here. UFC flyweight champion
looking to defend his crown against Alexandre Pantoja coming up
on September 19th from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
UFC 331 headlining that night's event.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
And you mentioned too, I mean, immigrating here from Myanmar
and being able to settle into Houston, just kind of
take us through your background. I mean, where'd you go
to school? What part of town did you grow up in?
And just your memories of Houston.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
Speaker 4 05,0.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
You know, when I first got here, when I first
got to Houston, I was, I was raised in Chinatown,
Bel Air.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
You know, I go to school and they leave me
to school. And, you know, I move around a lot.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
So I moved to Spring Branch area and then now
I'm in Cypress and things like that. So, yeah, I
grew around like everywhere in Houston pretty much.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
And I mean, as we saw in one of the
last pay-per-views where you did take the flyweight crown, just,
I mean, all of that work you put in, Joshua,
I mean, what is that moment like when you hear
Bruce Buffer say that you've won the fight and then
Dana White is putting the belt on you?
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Man, in my.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
Head, I was just like, mom, we did it. You know,
I had.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
My mom, that belt, and it meant everything to me.
Representing my country, Myanmar, and, you know, representing Houston, Texas.
It just felt amazing, man.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
And I mean, usually when there's a buildup to a fight,
I mean, as certain guys handle it a certain way,
I mean, you can go in there realizing it's a competition,
maybe some guys they've got to talk trash about their opponent,
but with Pantoja, I mean, is there a healthy respect
there or is this one of those that, you know,
he's coming for your crown and you want to be
able to hold them off. So there's kind of a
little bit of built-in animosity there.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Yeah, it's all respect.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
You know, it's all business at the end of the day,
but it's.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Just going to be him getting his ass whooped in
10 days.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
There we go.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Again, Joshua Vann joining us here. You're also on a
seven fight win streak. I mean, just kind of take
us through how hard is it just to win one
in the UFC? Like, I think like a lot of
people see people like you and some of the others
that have been so successful in this organization, but just
all of the work, everything that goes into just being
able to win one fight.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
Yeah. To get a win in the UFC is hard,
you know, to get to the UFC is hard enough already.
So it just speak about, you know, what we do
in the gym and how, how hard we work outside
of the cameras and things like that. So it is
hard to get a win in the UFC, man, let
alone get into the UFC. So it was pretty hard.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Speaker 2 and I mean, clearly it's not just you
training over there at four ounce. I mean, you've got
so many other people there that are there with you. Bobby,
as you mentioned, Jeremy, I know he's, you know, another
guy that's really influential over there. I mean, do you
kind of, while you're in camp, even with like some
of the younger guys or somebody else that are trying
to make their way, do you try to kind of
(05:40):
help those guys out too, to understand that the path
that they're on?
Speaker 4 (05:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Bobby and Bobby and Jeremy is not four hours no more.
It's Daniel Panetta who run four hours.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
Oh yeah. I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
You know, he, he doing, he doing, yeah, he doing
a great job so far. And yeah. So, Uh, we have, uh,
four UFC guys now at four hours. So, you know
what I mean? Uh, we're doing pretty well at four hours.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
All right.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
So obviously you've been in camp, so nutrition, everything is strict,
but when, when you're not in camp and you're hanging
out here in Houston, where, where can people most likely
find you? I mean, I know you don't want to
give away the, the exact spots, but like, do you
have some favorite spots here in town that you always
like to hit up?
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Uh, for sure. You know, wherever there's a good stake,
that's where you will find me.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Okay.
Speaker 4 (06:31):
Well, there's plenty of those around here. There's no question.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Again, Joshua van joining us says it's going to be
Joshua van against Alexandria Pantoja. Coming up on September 19th
from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. That's UFC 331
Van versus Pantoja 2 taking place with Van defending his
UFC Flyweight Championship in this one. And you can find
(06:57):
it on Paramount Plus and a few tickets remaining there
at Ticketmaster.com.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
Hey, get you out the door with this.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
I mean, you know, obviously you've grown up a good
amount of your life here in Houston. Any favorite sports teams,
anybody that when they're on and you're not in camp
that you find yourself in front of the TV watching?
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Like, I don't really watch sport on TV, but I
go to, you know, Astro games and things like that. So,
you know, shout out Astro.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
I mean, I know that Carlos Correa is a big
UFC guy. Have you ever had a chance to meet him?
Talk a little bit of mixed martial arts with him?
Speaker 3 (07:34):
Not yet, man. Hopefully I'll get to meet him in,
you know, in the future.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
Well, there you go. I mean, we got post-season time
coming up.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
So, you know, go to LA, take care of business
and then show back up at Dyken Park with that
flyweight championship.
Speaker 4 (07:46):
And I'm sure they could probably make that happen.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
For sure, man. That would be amazing.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
There you go.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Joshua Vann, again, joining us here. UFC 331 taking on
Alexandria Pantoja. Again, it's Vann versus Pantoja 2 for UFC 331.
And that's going to be coming up here in about
10 days out at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Hey, Joshua,
like I said at the beginning, huge fan of your
fighting style, huge fan of your work, and look forward
(08:15):
to seeing you go up against Pantoja in this fight.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Thank you so much, brother. And make sure you guys
watch it.
And we are talking UFC 331. This man is going
to be a huge part of it coming up on Saturday,
September 19th from Crypto.com Arena out there in L.A. He's
a Houston guy, trains here in the H over at
4-Ounce Fight Club. He is Joshua Vann, and he joins
us right now. Hey, Joshua, man, big fan of your
work and really look forward to seeing you go up
(00:21):
against Alexandre Pantoja. But I mean, just talking about your
Houston roots here, I know that you're over with Jeremy
and the crew over there at four ounce. I mean,
just what does the H mean to you? And what
does it mean to have the support of everybody here
in Houston?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Speaker 4 05,0 Man, I feel, I feel, I feel
amazing to represent Houston. You know, Houston raised me. I
was born in Myanmar, but Houston raised me. So I
see Houston as my own city and it, it feel
amazing to represent Houston, Texas and course, UFC three, three, one,
you know, we're going to show out for a season.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Speaker 2 and I mean, it's not only you that's
from here. I mean, I don't think a lot of
people realize the Houston connection that's currently in the UFC.
I mean, Derek Lewis, a Houston guy. I mean, is
that kind of a point of pride that y'all have where,
I mean, obviously Albuquerque, you know, with Holly home and
that whole crew of there and you just, you know,
all of the Southern California gyms, but like his Houston
(01:16):
kind of starting to put themselves on the map.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Yeah, for sure, man. You know, my head coach, Daniel Pineda,
was the first guy to.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Make it to the UFC from Houston. And, you know,
I'm the first champion. So, you know what I mean?
History repeats itself.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
And, you know, the community, the Houston community, the MMA
community is going up for sure.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Again, Joshua Vann, UFC fighter, joining us here on the
Dan Matthews Show Sports Talk 790 as Vann looking to
defend his UFC flyweight championship against Alexandria Pantoja coming up
here in about 10 days out in Los Angeles. I mean,
we hear about it all the time of going through
a camp, and I don't think a lot of people
(01:58):
necessarily understand that. Kind of take us through the basics
of what it means to be in camp to get
ready for a fight.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Man, the camp is hard.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
You know, we just have to be 100% locked in
every day. And camp is hard, but like I said,
the hard work is over. You know, in 10 days,
we're going to have.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Fun in the cage. So you guys will see the
work we put in.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
And it's kind of hard to believe this is going
to be your first main event that you've ever had
in your career. I mean, when you think of the
fighters that come through there, what does that mean to you?
Speaker 2 (02:28):
It means amazing, you know, for a flyweight to headline.
In a big car like this, it feels amazing, man,
which is riding history.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
And again, Joshua Vann joining us here. UFC flyweight champion
looking to defend his crown against Alexandre Pantoja coming up
on September 19th from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
UFC 331 headlining that night's event.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
And you mentioned too, I mean, immigrating here from Myanmar
and being able to settle into Houston, just kind of
take us through your background. I mean, where'd you go
to school? What part of town did you grow up in?
And just your memories of Houston.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
Speaker 4 05,0.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
You know, when I first got here, when I first
got to Houston, I was, I was raised in Chinatown,
Bel Air.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
You know, I go to school and they leave me
to school. And, you know, I move around a lot.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
So I moved to Spring Branch area and then now
I'm in Cypress and things like that. So, yeah, I
grew around like everywhere in Houston pretty much.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
And I mean, as we saw in one of the
last pay-per-views where you did take the flyweight crown, just,
I mean, all of that work you put in, Joshua,
I mean, what is that moment like when you hear
Bruce Buffer say that you've won the fight and then
Dana White is putting the belt on you?
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Man, in my.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
Head, I was just like, mom, we did it. You know,
I had.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
My mom, that belt, and it meant everything to me.
Representing my country, Myanmar, and, you know, representing Houston, Texas.
It just felt amazing, man.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
And I mean, usually when there's a buildup to a fight,
I mean, as certain guys handle it a certain way,
I mean, you can go in there realizing it's a competition,
maybe some guys they've got to talk trash about their opponent,
but with Pantoja, I mean, is there a healthy respect
there or is this one of those that, you know,
he's coming for your crown and you want to be
able to hold them off. So there's kind of a
little bit of built-in animosity there.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Yeah, it's all respect.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
You know, it's all business at the end of the day,
but it's.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Just going to be him getting his ass whooped in
10 days.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
There we go.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Again, Joshua Vann joining us here. You're also on a
seven fight win streak. I mean, just kind of take
us through how hard is it just to win one
in the UFC? Like, I think like a lot of
people see people like you and some of the others
that have been so successful in this organization, but just
all of the work, everything that goes into just being
able to win one fight.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
Yeah. To get a win in the UFC is hard,
you know, to get to the UFC is hard enough already.
So it just speak about, you know, what we do
in the gym and how, how hard we work outside
of the cameras and things like that. So it is
hard to get a win in the UFC, man, let
alone get into the UFC. So it was pretty hard.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Speaker 2 and I mean, clearly it's not just you
training over there at four ounce. I mean, you've got
so many other people there that are there with you. Bobby,
as you mentioned, Jeremy, I know he's, you know, another
guy that's really influential over there. I mean, do you
kind of, while you're in camp, even with like some
of the younger guys or somebody else that are trying
to make their way, do you try to kind of
(05:40):
help those guys out too, to understand that the path
that they're on?
Speaker 4 (05:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Bobby and Bobby and Jeremy is not four hours no more.
It's Daniel Panetta who run four hours.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
Oh yeah. I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
You know, he, he doing, he doing, yeah, he doing
a great job so far. And yeah. So, Uh, we have, uh,
four UFC guys now at four hours. So, you know
what I mean? Uh, we're doing pretty well at four hours.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
All right.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
So obviously you've been in camp, so nutrition, everything is strict,
but when, when you're not in camp and you're hanging
out here in Houston, where, where can people most likely
find you? I mean, I know you don't want to
give away the, the exact spots, but like, do you
have some favorite spots here in town that you always
like to hit up?
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Uh, for sure. You know, wherever there's a good stake,
that's where you will find me.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Okay.
Speaker 4 (06:31):
Well, there's plenty of those around here. There's no question.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Again, Joshua van joining us says it's going to be
Joshua van against Alexandria Pantoja. Coming up on September 19th
from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. That's UFC 331
Van versus Pantoja 2 taking place with Van defending his
UFC Flyweight Championship in this one. And you can find
(06:57):
it on Paramount Plus and a few tickets remaining there
at Ticketmaster.com.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
Hey, get you out the door with this.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
I mean, you know, obviously you've grown up a good
amount of your life here in Houston. Any favorite sports teams,
anybody that when they're on and you're not in camp
that you find yourself in front of the TV watching?
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Like, I don't really watch sport on TV, but I
go to, you know, Astro games and things like that. So,
you know, shout out Astro.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
I mean, I know that Carlos Correa is a big
UFC guy. Have you ever had a chance to meet him?
Talk a little bit of mixed martial arts with him?
Speaker 3 (07:34):
Not yet, man. Hopefully I'll get to meet him in,
you know, in the future.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
Well, there you go. I mean, we got post-season time
coming up.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
So, you know, go to LA, take care of business
and then show back up at Dyken Park with that
flyweight championship.
Speaker 4 (07:46):
And I'm sure they could probably make that happen.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
For sure, man. That would be amazing.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
There you go.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Joshua Vann, again, joining us here. UFC 331 taking on
Alexandria Pantoja. Again, it's Vann versus Pantoja 2 for UFC 331.
And that's going to be coming up here in about
10 days out at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Hey, Joshua,
like I said at the beginning, huge fan of your
fighting style, huge fan of your work, and look forward
(08:15):
to seeing you go up against Pantoja in this fight.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Thank you so much, brother. And make sure you guys
watch it.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Bobby Bones Show
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.