Joshua Van calls out Cody Durden after win over Edgar Chairez at UFC 306
LAS VEGAS – Joshua Van beat Edgar Chairez with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Van, who stepped up when Kevin Borjas pulled out and got back in the win column just two months after his first UFC loss.
Joshua Van def. Edgar Chairez
Sep 14, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Edgar Chairez of Mexico (red gloves) fights Joshua Van of the United States (blue gloves) during Riyadh Season Noche UFC 306 at The Sphere. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Result: Joshua Van def. Edgar Chairez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Updated records: Van (11-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC), Chairez (11-6 MMA, 1-2 UFC)
Key stats: Van landed 183 total strikes in the fight and had three takedowns.
Van on the fight’s key moment
Sep 14, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Edgar Chairez of Mexico (red gloves) fights Joshua Van of the United States (blue gloves) during Riyadh Season Noche UFC 306 at The Sphere. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
“That motherf*cker is tough, man. And the thing is, he’s got a long-ass arm. So even though I pulled back a little bit, his arm was still reaching me. It was a little new to me, fighting someone as long as him. But he was tough. That’s all I can say: He was a tough motherf*cker.
“… The second round, I hurt him. But Mexicans are tough. He won’t give up. Watching all his fights – I did my little homework this time around – he didn’t like the body shots. That’s why we tried to go down to the body.”
Van on the short notice fight
“I was at the bar taking a shot when I got the call for this. I thought I was going to be taking a break for two months or so. I was enjoying my best life. The call came, two weeks’ notice, and we took the fight. This week was a good experience for me. I loved every single moment.”
Van on what he wants next
Cody Durden
“I want to fight that boy Cody Durden. I want to fight that boy. If not, I was from Myanmar, but I was raised by this Mexican and we hate lazy people. I don’t like that ‘Lazyboy,’ (Ronaldo Rodriguez). So we can run it.”
To hear more from Van, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.