Joshua Van

Picked with explicitly reduced confidence -- the analyst says he was more confident before a late injury forced this title fight to be rebooked, and the injury's severity is still unclear.

Holds a clear edge on the feet in this matchup -- solid, aggressive forward pressure, an early jab, a good leg kick, and real pop on his punches despite being the smaller-framed fighter here. His slip-and-counter approach is efficient and economical, snapping back with a counter shot quickly, though the margin for error is genuinely thin -- one small mistake and he eats a shot clean. He works the body well, which is something worth seeing more of early since body damage makes takedowns progressively tougher to execute as rounds pass. His volume is excellent and keeps growing rather than tapering off. Leg kick defense is a genuine, specific weakness. His grappling has climbed to a genuinely good level, largely because his takedown defense keeps improving as a fight progresses, to the point where he's nearly unstoppable to put down by the third round, and he's tough to hold down even earlier since he scrambles back to his feet fast. He owns a reasonable takedown game of his own, though he isn't expected to use it here, and he stays busy off his back if grounded. His cardio is outstanding.