Joshua Van opened up UFC’s 2024 campaign with a brutal TKO finish over Felipe Bunes earlier tonight (Sat., Jan. 13, 2024) at UFC Vegas 84 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
It was the first card of the new year for the world’s leading MMA promotion and the opening fight delivered as expected. Van, a 22-year-old prospect in the UFC’s growing flyweight division, is notoriously a slow starter. He fell behind early as Bunes showed up with crisp striking and solid takedowns in his Octagon debut.
Van quickly turned things around in the second round as he found his timing and got inside on Bunes. “Fearless” turned the pressure up with combinations to the head, hooks to the body, knees up the gut, and head kicks. Bunes hung in tough and tried to score a lucky counter punch, but Van’s output eventually wore him down. Van put the finishing touches on his impressive performance by knocking Bunes down and scoring heavy ground-and-pound to force the referee’s hand.
Check out the final moments above.
Van, who is now 3-0 inside of the Octagon, scored his first finish tonight since making his debut back in June of 2023. He’s still young and capable of evolving all facets of his game, but Van is quickly looking like a future contender. “Fearless” gets better every time we see him, he clearly possesses a solid chin, and his cardio always seems to hold up.
For complete UFC Vegas 84 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.