Joshua Van Bawi Thawng, a 24-year-old Mixed Martial Arts fighter known as “The Fearless,” won the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) flyweight title after defeating Brazil’s Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 323 in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 26 seconds of the first round on Saturday.
“I didn’t know what happened. He just stopped,” Van told reporters after the fight. A kick by Pantoja made the Brazilian fighter land on his arm with the impact appearing to break, or dislocate, a bone near his elbow.
Joshua Van acknowledged that the fight didn’t end the way UFC fans had hoped for, but that he would give Pantoja a rematch once he recovers.
The UFC Flyweight Championship is the first-ever won by a Myanmar-born fighter in the combat sports company’s history. Van’s victory also reportedly ranks as one of its fastest on record.
“Now the world will never [forget] Joshua Van and the people of Myanmar. Now the world will know of us,” Van told UFC host Joe Rogan in the Octagon (ring) after the fight. “Now that I’ve become a [UFC] champion, I hope the whole world knows about Myanmar,” he told a press conference in the Burmese language after the fight on Dec. 6.
Van is the second-youngest champion in UFC history, trailing only Jon Jones who won his title at age 23. With 10 UFC fights and one championship under his belt, Van has faced defeat only once and has won his last six consecutive fights.
At age 10, Van’s family fled their home in Myanmar’s Chin State due to “political instability and conflict” to Malaysia. Two years later, at the age of 12, Van and his family relocated to Houston, Texas, which has become their permanent home. Van reportedly holds dual Myanmar-U.S. citizenship.
