“I watched a couple fights before of Josh, before his fight with Royval,” Pantoja said when asked about his opponent. “He did an amazing performance versus Rei, and then he fought Bruno “Bulldoginho;” two beautiful victories. Then I started to figure out, ‘this guy is very good.’
“I (didn’t) think he would come so fast to fight for the title, but he got his chance when Manel Kape pulled off the fight with Royval. He made it happen. A beautiful victory against Royval — a tough opponent, the No. 1 contender — and then he got the ticket to fight for the title fight.”
RELATED: Josh Van Interview
Just a couple of weeks after stopping Silva, Van jumped in with Royval, and after two competitive rounds, he pulled away down the stretch of the third, securing the victory. He sat cageside as the champion successful defended his title against Kara-France, and then ventured into the Octagon to congratulate and face-off with “The Cannibal,” setting the stage for Saturday’s scintillating showdown.
“I already knew who is my next opponent after the fight with Kai Kara-France — Josh Van stepped inside of the Octagon, and I started to train for him,” offered the champion, a humble family man who continues to refine his skills and look better each time out, despite having logged 35 professional appearances. “It’s a very good camp and a very good opponent; someone that makes me train for them a lot.
“I think that’s how I show respect to my opponent is training a lot and I’m expecting the best version of Joshua Van.”
