UFC analyst Din Thomas thinks Alexandre Pantoja is a bad matchup for Joshua Van.
Flyweight champion Pantoja (30-5 MMA, 14-3 UFC) will look to notch his fifth title defense when he takes on rising star Van (15-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in the UFC 323 co-main event on Dec. 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2/ESPN+/Disney+/FX).
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPantoja has been on a tear. His grappling was on full display in his past two title defenses over Kai Asakura and Kai Kara-France, and Thomas expects him to do the same to Van.
"I think Pantoja, I don't want to say walks through him, but I think stylistically, he has all the advantages to make this look exactly the way he beat Kai Kara-France, and I think it's going to look similar to that," Thomas told MMA Junkie. "I think he's going to fake some takedowns and get Van thinking about that takedown, then he's going to bust him up a little bit on the feet then take him down, and eventually probably get his back and choke him out.
"And I say this will all due respect because Joshua Van, like Waldo Cortes-Acosta, is one of my favorite fighters right now. But stylistically, I just don't think he's at the level right now to be able to deal with Pantoja. This guy's only been doing this for five years. Like, Pantoja was probably a black belt five years ago so, I think it's a little premature for him."
According to FanDuel, Van is a +200 underdog against dominant champion Pantoja, who is a -265 favorite.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Analyst: Joshua Van not ready for Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 323
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