Greetings to the new champion! At UFC 323 in Las Vegas, MMA fighter Joshua Van defeated Alexandre Pantoja to win the UFC Flyweight World Championship title. Monster Energy congratulates Van on his victory. The 24-year-old Houston, Texas, native finished his opponent with a vicious TKO in Round 1 of the Co-Main Event bout.
On the Main Card, 25-year-old Tatsuro Taira of Okinawa, Japan, defeated 32-year-old Brandon Moreno of Tijuana, Mexico, via TKO in the second round. Manuel Torres, 30, of Chihuahua City, Mexico, defeated Grant Dawson by first-round knockout in their lightweight match on the preliminary card, earning him the $50,000 UFC Performance of the Night prize.
Greeley, Colorado resident Maycee Barber, 27, defeated Karine Silva via decision in the Women’s Flyweight class. Mansur Abdul-Malik, a 28-year-old from Columbia, Maryland, defeated Antonio Trocoli in their Middleweight class bout during the Early Preliminary round.
In front of 18,603 live viewers at the sold-out T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs. Yan 2 took place. The event, which included five fights on the Main Card and two UFC World Championship bouts, was televised live on ESPN pay-per-view.
Van (16-2) of Monster Energy entered the 125-pound division title bout following his most recent victory over Brandon Royval at UFC 317 in June. The fighter, whose full name is Joshua Van Bawi Thawng, entered his championship challenge riding a five-fight winning streak.
The opponent on Saturday night, Brazilian Pantoja (30-6), the current UFC Flyweight champion, was defending his championship for the fifth time after winning it at UFC 290 in July 2023.
Both competitors collided in the Octagon during the title battle. Van stopped Pantoja’s right high head kick and started a takedown in what would turn out to be a pivotal moment.
Pantoja’s arm twisted awkwardly when the two men hit the canvas, and the current champion dislocated his shoulder. Referee Herb Dean ended the bout at 0:26 seconds of Round 1, declaring Van the victor via TKO.
“I didn’t know what happened. He just stopped. I was trying to ground-and-pound, but the ref said something was wrong. He’s one of the greatest of all time, and I didn’t want the fight to go that way,” stated Monster Energy’s Van upon claiming the UFC Flyweight World Championship title at UFC 323.
“I’m so blessed. People of Myanmar, now the world will know of us,” stated Van.
Van is currently the second-youngest champion in UFC history, having won at the age of 24. He was born in Myanmar and currently fights out of Houston. He has gone six fights without losing.
The main show also featured a battle in the Flyweight division between Mexican competitor Moreno (23-9) and Japanese combatant Taira (18-1). Both competitors engaged in foot-to-foot combat in the opening round, with Taira defending a triangle attempt that Moreno attempted.
Taira took the lead in the second round and took over Moreno’s back from the top position. Referee Mark Smith declared Taira the winner by TKO at 2:24 of Round 2 after Taira rained punches into Moreno’s head and Moreno failed to cover it.
Taira became the first fighter to defeat former UFC Flyweight champion Moreno with what is now his greatest career victory.
Torres (17-3) of Monster Energy took on American Dawson (23-3) as the underdog earlier on Saturday night’s Prelim Card. Both boxers depended on their striking; Torres waited patiently for the ideal opportunity to land heavy shots, while Dawson pursued with vigor.
Torres found a way to rock Dawson with a counterpunch combination of four strikes, proving that the technique worked. Dawson was knocked to the ground by a powerful left to the head, and Torres followed up with hammer punches until it was all over. Torres was declared the winner by TKO when the referee ended the first round at 2:25.
“I’m overjoyed.” After winning by TKO at UFC 323, Torres of Monster Energy remarked, “I’m happy with the opportunity.”
Torres also received the $50,000 UFC Performance of the Night award for the vicious stoppage. The “El Loco” fighter has now won all five of his UFC bouts via first-round knockout, earning bonuses of $50,000 for each victory.
Additionally, Barber (15-2) of Monster Energy fought Karine Silva (19-6) to the end in their Women’s Flyweight division bout on the Prelim Card. Barber had been unable to compete for 21 months due to health concerns; thus, the match was eagerly awaited.
As the battle progressed, Barber used her superior grappling techniques to win each round on the judges’ scorecards. Barber used strong ground and pound till the finish of the round after defending against a body triangle in Round 1.
Barber was hit by an illegal upkick in a contentious second-round sequence, which clearly stunned her but did not stop her from fighting. In the third round, Barber used powerful blows to harm her opponent while defending against another attempt at submission.
Barber was declared the winner by unanimous decision following three rounds (30-27, 29-28, 29-28). Barber currently has a seven-fight UFC winning streak.
Barber of Monster Energy stated, “I’m not just happy, I’m blessed,” adding that the path to this point has not been easy. The intention was not to be struck by the [illegal] kick. I felt a little lightheaded, but it’s okay since you got punched in the face too. It’s okay since I’m here.”
Abdul-Malik (9-0) of Columbia, Maryland, entered the Octagon to take on Trocoli (12-6) in the Middleweight class. Trocoli responded to Abdul-Malik’s blows with kicks as the action began on the feet.
When Abdul-Malik secured a half-mount position after locking in a double-leg takedown, the momentum shifted. Trocoli’s life came to an end as Abdul-Malik locked in the guillotine choke.
Trocoli was able to rise again, but Abdul-Malik’s unrelenting choke turned into a standing guillotine, forcing his opponent to tap out. Abdul-Malik was declared the winner by submission when the referee halted the fight at 1:09 in Round 1.
When asked about his plans for upcoming bouts, Abdul-Malik responded, “More dominant finishes, more wins!”
With nine UFC victories under his belt, Abdul-Malik has established himself as a formidable opponent in the middleweight class.
Alex Pereira, Belal Muhammad, Dricus Du Plessis, Merab Dvalishvili, Valentina Shevchenko, Weili Zhang, Marlon Vera, Justin Gaethje, Brandon Moreno, Giga Chikadze, Johnny Walker, Sean Strickland, Dan Ige, Diego Lopes, Daniel Zellhuber, Derrick Lewis, Alexa Grasso, Raul Rosas Jr., Tatsuro Taira, Shara Magomedov, Patricio Pitbull, Maycee Barber, Aaron Pico, Patchy Mix, Jasmine Jasudavicius, Kayla Harrison, Malcolm Wellmaker, Mansur Abdul-Malik, Manuel Torres, and Joshua Van are among Monster Energy’s top UFC athletes.
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