‘Five years ago, he wasn’t even fighting’: Wild tale behind Conor protege eyeing UFC title boilover

Conor McGregor is responsible for so many wild yarns you could wallpaper your house with the clippings.

But one Mystic Mac story you likely don’t know?

That’s Joshua Van.

Aka, Fearless.

UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs Yan | SUN 7 DEC 2PM AEDT | Bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will look to make history and become the first fighter to defend a championship for a fourth time in a year when he takes on former champ Petr Yan in Las Vegas. Plus Alexandre Pantoja vs Joshua Van for the flyweight belt. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.

‘He’s a true fighter’: Pantoja hails Van | 07:12

A 24-year-old fighting phenom from – of all places – Myanmar, who this Sunday in Las Vegas is looking to go earn himself the fastest ever run to UFC gold.

Or so you’d reckon given Van wasn’t even ranked at the start of this year.

Same as he only joined the UFC 18 months ago, made his professional debut four years back and had his first MMA fight of any kind just before Christmas, 2020.

Oh yeah, as recently as 2017 this now hyped UFC prospect didn’t even know the acronym existed.

So as for what changed?

Well, he started noticing a “crazy white guy”.

Or more specifically, McGregor.

‘He didn’t respect me’ | 02:01

“It was around the time he and Floyd Mayweather were going back and forth,” Van recounted for Fox Sports Australia this week.

Explaining how he initially discovered the fighting Irishman during what would eventually become the spark for he and Mayweather’s $600 million boxing blockbuster.

At the time, Van was still only in his teens.

But already, had found himself in as many fights as you’d expect a kid whose family had moved him from Myanmar to Texas, and with so little English it caused plenty of schoolyard bullying.

So Van knew fighting, and he knew trouble.

Joshua Van, via his Instagram page.Source: FOX SPORTS

“So now I was like ‘who is this crazy white guy?’,” he laughs.

“Initially, I started doing some research and found out how this McGregor was knocking people out left and right.

“So immediately I said ‘OK, that’s what I want to do’.

“At the time, I didn’t even know what the UFC was.

“Wasn’t paying attention to anyone.

“But then I knew Conor McGregor …”

And from there?

“I started going to the gym and, straight away, my life started changing,” he continues. “At the gym, you’re always wanting to be better.

“Which then means there is no more time for friends or all those other things you’re used to doing, you separate from all that.”

All of which now brings us to UFC 323 this Sunday, where Van challenges reigning flyweight king Alexandre Pantoja.

And while still fueled by the aura of McGregor, too.

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“Because Conor, he’s the GOAT, man,” the Octagon prospect continues.

“I don’t care what anyone else says.

“In his prime, I really believe Conor McGregor is the greatest of all time.

“And I know it’s easy to lose interest when you have the type of money he does now.

“But at his best, man, nobody was touching him.

“And that’s why I still look up to him.”

Pushed on how McGregor has effectively forged this most unlikely of rises, Van continues: “I just love his fighting style.

“Love his confidence too.

“And that’s something I’ve really learned from, that belief in himself.

“Because if you look at all the greats, that’s something they have in common – that self belief.”

Elsewhere, Van also explained the incredible story behind his oversized chest tattoo, which carries the phrase ‘Blessed’.

“Got it when I was 14,” he says of the artwork.

“And growing up, I really did believe I was blessed in life.

“There were times where I was supposed to die. Where I should’ve been dead.

“But I made it out.

“And looking at that, I just thought ‘yeah I’m blessed’ …”

You were supposed to die?

“Yeah,” he shrugs, “there was a lot of dumb s*** going on.

“But one story everyone in my community knows about, I was at Galveston Beach swimming with my brother-in-law.

“I was 14, maybe 13 and this wave just took us out.

“So far that my feet weren’t touching sand.

“I remember people were looking at us from shore like ‘we can’t save them’.”

“I AM THE BEST IN THE WORLD!” | 02:49

Which is how Van felt, too.

“I’d get some air, go under … I was fighting for my life,” he says.

“Eventually I was swallowing so much water, couldn’t breathe, it just got to a point where I went ‘f*** it, let me just die’.

“That’s where I was at.

“I closed my eyes, getting ready to die, and that’s when something pushed me …”

A decade on and Van still isn’t sure how to describe it.

“But suddenly,” he says, “I could touch the ground.

“My uncle, he came running into the water and picked me up as I was collapsing.

“He had no idea how I made it out alive.

“And because of all that, I just always felt blessed.

“I remember telling one of my boys, ‘I’m blessed, I’m the chosen one’. And then asking if he could tat me up …”

And guess what?

“He got a tattoo machine and did it freestyle,” the fighter cackles.

“We didn’t have the paper to put on first or anything, my buddy just drew it.

“Initially, it was only the word ‘Blessed’. Then after a while I was like ‘hey, this s*** look ugly, can you add some more’.

“And he did.

“[Laughs] So shout out to my boy man.”

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Elsewhere, Van talks of his faith in God, his love of fighting and how he plans to not only upset Pantoja for the UFC flyweight crown, but knock him out within three rounds.

But as for anything else concerning his incredible UFC rise, which includes winning four fights since December last year?

“Until I get the belt,” he says, “I haven’t been successful”.

Outside the McGregor inspiration, Van also admits to his life changing thanks to the exploits of another fighter you may know.

“Growing up and being bullied at school, I started out fighting to defend myself,” he says.

“And once I started fighting, I started getting respect.

“Started getting new friends and attention, too.

“And eventually, I started to enjoy that new attention.

“So it got to the point where I was basically fighting every day for attention …”

Which is about the time an aunty pulled him aside for a chat.

“She told me ‘a real man fights for his family, for his country’,” Van recounts. “And she used Manny Pacquiao as the example.

“Ever since that day, something changed in my head. Changed in my heart, too.

“I can still remember calling my mom and saying ‘hey, I’m going to start training …’. And I guess the rest is history.”