UFC champion Van credits Petr Yan as his primary model after second title defence

Joshua Van has lifted the lid on the film-study habits behind his boxing-heavy game, naming UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan as the fighter he watches most closely and crediting Yan’s hands as a direct influence on his own striking arsenal.

Van made the admission in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, weeks after defending his title for the second time at UFC 331, where he outpointed Alexandre Pantoja in their rematch to cement his status as one of the promotion’s most technically refined champions.

“He’s got my style of fighting,” Van told Helwani. “He’s a boxing-based fighter, kind of like Petr Yan, Ilia. I like to study one of the greats and just put it into my game… Petr Yan really is the one that I really watch.”

The champion also shed light on an unusual preparation method he used earlier in his career: flipping footage of Dustin Poirier. Van explained the practical reason — he is an orthodox fighter while Poirier is a southpaw, so mirroring the tape allowed him to extract techniques applicable to his own stance. Alongside Yan, Van also studies featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, whose boxing-first approach he sees as a close match for his own.

Van’s next title defence has yet to be formally announced, though Manel Kape is reported to be the frontrunner to challenge him. Yan, meanwhile, is set to put his own belt on the line in a trilogy fight against Merab Davlishvili at UFC 333.