Born on the 10th of October, 2001, Joshua Van is one of the most under-promoted fighters in the

UFC

. Despite being of Burmese origin, Van had to leave behind his country at an early age of 12 along with his family and settle down in Houston, Texas. The circumstances were mostly owed to the political instability and crisis that have persisted in Myanmar for way too long now. Life in Texas was not easy for the family either. Van’s smaller body size compared to other children in his school forced him to struggle almost every day of his life, which ultimately went on to be a driving force that ignited his passion for MMA. Despite all of these hurdles, Van has been able to leave a mark through his

MMA career

and now he will be the first ever

Burmese fighter

to walk out with the Myanmar Flag at UFC 313

Van’s MMA career currently stands at 10-2, with a record of 5-1 in the UFC. He made his first UFC appearance in 2023 against Zhalgas Zhumagulov, which was a split decision win for Van. However, his journey in the UFC has not always been about just fighting. Van always wanted to represent Myanmar on a global stage. Known as “The Fearless” Van has carried the spirit of his homeland with him ever since he joined the UFC. However, the urge to physically walk out with the Myanmar flag has not materialised until now, when the UFC officials finally submitted to the continuous persistence of the young fighter. With Van preparing for his upcoming bout at the UFC 313 on March 8 against

Rei Tsuruya

, the news added extra zeal and passion to the fighter’s spirit.
“They emailed me yesterday, and I was full of joy. I showed all my coaches and all my friends that I get to bring my flag. It was a very special day for me.”
This landmark moment comes after the constant efforts from Van, who had been requesting to carry his flag for each of his previous fights. It was a long-awaited victory for him. While he was initially uncertain why the flag wasn’t permitted before, he believes part of the reason was a lack of awareness about Myanmar. He recalled instances where officials seemed unsure whether Myanmar was even a recognized country.

“I think my first fight nobody was allowed to bring their flags. So that was understandable. Then my second fight and my third fight, I kept asking them. I think it was the commission or something, they didn’t know if Myanmar was a country or not. That’s what they told me. I was pulling out Googles and sh*t to show them that Myanmar is a country. The UFC team worked on getting my flag, especially after my last fight, the win, where I wore the mouth guard. That played a big part.” Van stated.

Owing to the ongoing political crisis in the state, the entire news had mixed reactions from the natives of Myanmar. While a segment of people from Myanmar feel that the flag doesn’t fully represent them due to the current crisis, others see it as a proud moment for the nation. Despite differing opinions, Van believes that raising awareness about Myanmar is important, and he remains committed to representing his homeland.
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Van is currently on a two-fight win streak and plans to extend it to a three-fight win streak at UFC 313. While his upcoming bout against Rei Tsuruya is crucial for him to stay on track for the flyweight title run, Van hopes to return to his country one day and do something for his nation.