The Daniel Cormier Show - Joshua Van on BEATING Tatsuro Taira, Sean-Khamzat, Jon Jones' record

Summary

The Daniel Cormier Show - Joshua Van on Beating Tatsuro Taira, Sean-Khamzat, Jon Jones' Record
Podcast: The Herd with Colin Cowherd
Date: May 9, 2026
Host: Daniel Cormier | Guest: Josh Van (UFC Flyweight Champion)

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Episode Overview

This episode features UFC flyweight champion Josh Van joining Daniel Cormier for an in-depth conversation ahead of UFC 328. They discuss Van’s rapid rise in the UFC, the circumstances surrounding his title win, his much-anticipated title defense against Tatsuro Taira, the pressure and rewards of becoming champion so young, and the intensity of sharing a fight card with the heated Sean Strickland vs. Khamzat Chimaev bout.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Joshua Van’s Meteoric Rise & Mindset

• Cormier reflects on Van’s early days in the UFC—youthful and inexperienced, particularly in wrestling—and marvels at his ascent to champion status.
• Van expected rapid success but was slowed by a defeat:

  “I actually thought I was going to beat Jon Jones’ record, and then, yeah, I took that loss back in 2024 or something... I’m okay with being the second youngest.” (05:57, Van)

Injury, Postponement, and Title Fight Clarity

• Van’s last fight was postponed due to a minor injury; coaches and management made the call to pull him from the fight for his own safety.

  “It’s a minor injury... I can fight through this. You know, let me just finish my camp... they just decided without me...” (06:24, Van)

• Fight rescheduling: Van always expected Tatsuro Taira to remain as his opponent, despite talk of Pantoja possibly stepping in.

The Controversial Title Win

• Emotional response to winning via opponent injury:

  “Well, to be honest, it was a confused moment... I didn’t know whether I win or not. I thought it was going to be like a DQ or whatever.” (08:17, Van)

• Cormier clarifies the legitimacy of the win: The injury (to Pantoja) was caused by Van’s action, not mere accident:

  “He’s going back to the ground based off an action that you caused... he posted and his elbow came out. It’s not like he just fell down.” (08:59, Cormier)

• Van’s perspective on grappling mishap:

  “Like when we do jiu-jitsu, that’s the first thing they taught us, not to fall like that... He’s a black belt and I think he should know how to fall.” (09:24, Van)

Assessing Opponent Tatsuro Taira

• Respect for Taira’s skill set:

  “He’s a well-rounded guy... another Pantoja, but younger... I really want to test myself against someone like Tatsuro.” (10:19, Van)

• Gameplan discussion: Standup advantage vs. proving his ground game if needed.

  “Not a lot of people see my ground game, so this might be my time to show my ground game. You know what? Five years of training on my ground. Come on.” (11:18, Van)

Fight Week Energy & Heavy Card

• Sharing the UFC 328 spotlight with Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev:

  “I got my team with me... I just feel the same, bro. I don’t know.” (on handling fight week energy and hype) (12:17, Van)

• Joking about press conference chaos:

  “If that ever happened, I’d take my phone out and start recording.” (12:51, Van)

Life as a Young World Champion

• Van stays grounded, focused on family and routine:

  “Life is great... taking care of my family... But in general, my life’s still the same, you know, still keeping the same people around me...” (13:10, Van)

• Cormier reflects on champion mindset:

  “The goal, while it is accomplished, they continue to move the finish line back...” (13:27, Cormier)

  “I work even harder... Waking up early to go put in work is never hard for me.” (14:16, Van)

• On staying humble and not getting wild:

  “How you not just wilding out in Texas, dog? You the man, right?” (14:44, Cormier)

  “Nah, it’s the coaches.” (15:09, Van)

Defining “the Real Champ” and Heritage

• On champion legitimacy:

  “People would say, you’re not the champ until you defend the champ. Do you agree with that?” (15:11, Cormier)

  “No, I am the champ.” (16:01, Van)

• On cultural identity and national pride:

  “I said, but we have Joshua Van... Can we claim you as an American champion, Joshua Van?” (16:41, Cormier)

  “Yeah, for sure. I’m a Burmese American.” (16:51, Van)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On being a young champ:

  “I actually thought I was going to beat Jon Jones’ record... but I’m okay with being second youngest.” (05:57, Van)

• On handling the aftermath of an unusual title win:

  “It was a confused moment, right? I was like, what was going on? And the ref stop it... I thought it was going to be like... a DQ or whatever.” (08:17, Van)

• On blessing and curse of stardom:

  “How you not just wilding on... You like the basketball dudes down in Texas? Cause you’re a world champion... How you staying grounded?” (14:44, Cormier)
  “Nah, it’s the coaches.” (15:09, Van)

• On cultural identity:

  “Yeah, for sure. I’m a Burmese American, you know what I mean?” (16:51, Van)

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Important Timestamps

• 05:08: Interview with Josh Van begins.
• 05:22 - 06:24: Van on rapid career rise and thought of beating Jon Jones’ record.
• 06:24 - 07:30: Injury leads to fight postponement; opponent continuity.
• 07:50 - 09:50: Deep dive into circumstances of Van’s title-winning fight.
• 10:00 - 11:45: Analyzing Taira as an opponent, Van’s game and self-belief.
• 11:53 - 13:10: Co-main event fight week energy; Strickland-Chimaev hype.
• 13:10 - 14:44: Van on life changes, champion motivation.
• 14:44 - 15:11: Staying disciplined as a young champion.
• 15:11 - 16:56: What it means to be “the champ,” defending the belt, Van’s heritage.

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Conclusion

This episode spotlights Josh Van’s grounded attitude and the self-belief fueling his meteoric UFC ascent. He openly addresses the controversy surrounding his title win, his hunger to legitimize his reign in a high-stakes defense, and the pressures of youthful championship—all while displaying humility and humor. Van’s respect for both his coaches and heritage, readiness to defend his “real champ” status, and excitement for the UFC 328 card make this a compelling listen for fight fans.

Transcript

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[Daniel Cormier]

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[Daniel Cormier]

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[Josh Van]

Hey, what's up, man?

[Daniel Cormier]

How you doing Dog. Hey, you got a little bit of a different glow to you right now. I see your face. You look like you got that championship glow on you.

[Josh Van]

You know, just feeling great, man. Fight week.

[Daniel Cormier]

You know, we. I remember talking to you when you first started, and I remember a fight, a fighter meeting we did, and you walked in and you were so young. You were at the UFC apex, and we're upstairs in that conference room, and you started speaking about wrestling, and you go, I'm doing this thing, and I haven't even started wrestling yet. And now we fast forward. Not many years ahead, and you're a world champion. Has this happened faster than you might have imagined? Josh, I knew you always were confident, but to be the world champ this quickly, Are you a bit surprised?

[Josh Van]

Nah, man, I actually thought I was going to beat Jon Jones record, and then, yeah, I took that loss back in 2024 or something. Yeah. And, you know, that kind of hold me back, but I'm, you know, I'm okay being with, you know, the second youngest, so it's cool.

[Daniel Cormier]

So what. So what happened in the last fight? What happened? Why didn't you guys fight in Miami? Somebody got hurt. I don't know exactly who it was. Did you get hurt? What happened?

[Josh Van]

Yeah, it's. It's a minor injury that, you know, we had to go through in fight camp. So the coaches, you know, they wanted to call off sooner, a lot sooner. But I keep telling them, hey, man, I. I can fight through this. You know, let me just finish my camp. And then they just decided without me, all the coaches and my manager, you know, and then they call me outside, just tell me they call it off sometimes.

[Daniel Cormier]

That's why they're. That's why they're in that place, though, right? Because they're the people that are responsible for the athlete. Because especially when you're your age, you almost feel invincible, and so you think you can just get through anything. So that's why those guys are in that place when. That's when that happened, right?

[Josh Van]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

And the fight got delayed. Did you think it would still be that Surro Tyra, or did you kind of wonder, well, what about Pantoja, who Obviously, you guys had the last fight that happened. Did you always. Did you know that it would stay him? Or was there ever a thought that maybe Pantoja would try to sneak back in there to try to find himself back fighting for the title?

[Josh Van]

Nah, I think it's always Turo, you know, because, like, Pantosia, man, he got to get in camp and stuff. Like, that there's no way, you know what I mean? He going to be ready in that time, that timeline. So I. I always know, even if they reschedule it, like, it's always going to be tsuru.

[Daniel Cormier]

So let's go back to that championship winning fight, right? Yeah. It happens in a way that is. I can't speak for you, but not the way that you would want it to happen. But I don't care. You won the fight. What was the immediate feeling? I saw the joy, right? Oh, my God, I'm a world champion. But when it settled into your mind, like, what was your feeling after becoming the world champion after that injury happened?

[Josh Van]

Well, to be honest, it was a confused moment, right? I was like, what was going on? And the ref stop it. And I didn't know whether I win or not. I thought it was going to be like, what is it called? A DQ or whatever.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah, yeah. No contest.

[Josh Van]

And then I was like, fuck it. So I celebrate and then I can't. I came back down. You know, I was on the cage and I came back down. I look at the. I look at the screen and I saw his arm and I was like, oh. And then, you know, we. I told him, I'm sorry. He said, I'm sorry, you know, we gonna fight again, and things like that.

[Daniel Cormier]

You know, hey, but let's say this, let's just be completely honest, right?

[Josh Van]

Yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

He's going back to the ground based off an action that you caused. Going back to the ground. He didn't just fall, Right. If we're being completely honest, right? He kicked, he tried to head kick, he called the kick, went to drive him to the ground, he posted and his elbow came out. It's not like he just fell down, right? So when everybody's like, oh, Pantosia got hurt. I get it. He did. It was unfortunate, but that was off of one of your actions that caused him to go to the mat and he. And got hurt.

[Josh Van]

Yeah, yeah, he, you know, when he landed that kick, like, I kind of like, not just block it, but, like push it, you know, I think that, like, forced him to fall and fall. Fall in that way. And like I said, man, like, when we do jiu jitsu, you know, that's the first thing they taught us, not to fall like that, you know? Yeah, don't push him. He's a black belt and I think he should know how to fall.

[Daniel Cormier]

Hey, Josh, I'm a professional faller. After all the wrestling, like, I know how to fall in so many situations. It's crazy.

[Josh Van]

I know, man, it's crazy.

[Daniel Cormier]

Yeah. So then you get the call, it's Sansoro Tyra, tough guy, beats Brandon Moreno last time in the way that he did on the same fight night. Right? Did you know, like, I think it'll be this guy next. And when you look at Tyra, like, what do you see, right? What do you make of Tatsuro Tyra

[Josh Van]

the fighter Tissue, like, Tesoro is a great fighter, you know what I mean? He's a well rounded guy and he is. A lot of people know him for his, his ground game, but you know, he got a little bit of striking too. So, you know, he's a well rounded guy and he's like another pintoja, but younger, you know, so that, like, I really want to test myself against someone like Tesoro. I think that would show the world that I'm the best in this flyweight.

[Daniel Cormier]

And you got to make. Is it safe to say, Josh, that if this fight is contested on the feet, you're winning completely, but it gets tougher. I'm not saying he beats you, but it gets tougher if you're spending extended periods of time on the ground. So you want to make this a boxing type of contest because your boxing is as good as anyone. I told you what Andre Ward told me after watching you fight down in Houston. That's crazy. Big compliment.

[Josh Van]

Yeah, I mean, stand up ground, you know, we, we, we are well prepared for everything. You know what I mean? Like, not a lot of people see my ground game, so this might be my, my time to show my ground game. You know what? Five years of training on my ground. Come on.

[Daniel Cormier]

Well, it's not even, it's not that people don't get to see you ground gamers because nobody can take you down, which to me is actually surprising. You said I never wrestled until I started fighting.

[Josh Van]

Yeah, never. I mean, until right before I got to the ufc. Basically, like, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Daniel Cormier]

Crazy how good you got at defending takedowns this week. You are the co main event to one of the most bad blood, intense type of situations that we have seen come across the UFC in a long time. How's that feeling the fight week vibe as you've gotten to New Jersey, knowing that you are on one of the bigger cards of the year?

[Josh Van]

I, I feel the same, to be honest. You know, a lot of people talking about oscillation and all this other stuff, but I feel safe, man. I got my team. Yeah, I got my team with me, you know what I mean? So I don't feel like. I just feel the same, bro. I don't know.

[Daniel Cormier]

Well, you're. The safety issue gonna be is whenever you and Tatsuro in the middle of Sean and Hamza, because I think those guys got to be on the edge of the press conference, and if them dudes get at each other, it's going to be crazy up there. I hope you got your bouncer shirt with you to try to stop somebody from fighting up there, man.

[Josh Van]

Man, I. Yeah, I don't know if that ever happened, then I'd take my phone out and start recording, you know what I mean? World.

[Daniel Cormier]

Josh, how much has life changed, though, as you now the UFC world champion?

[Josh Van]

Life is great, man. Is, you know, taking care of my family and things like that is. Is a lot better. But in general, my life's still the same, you know, still keeping the same people around me and things like that, so pretty much the same, you know,

[Daniel Cormier]

One of the greatest boxing champions of all time said it's tough to get up and run five miles. Marvin Hagler if he's. When you sleep in those satin sheets. So that's why champions fail. I feel like this new era of champion now can stay motivated, can know that the. The goal, while it is accomplished, they continue to move the finish line back. I felt like every time I defended a title, Josh, I would get home on Monday, I would mow my yard, I would feel great, right, Like I'd accomplished something. But on Tuesday, Wednesday, my mind started shifting right back to the next thing. So there was never any real, like, settling in terms of my career. How do you do that, right, as you became the champion, how quickly did you move forward to what's next, or were you able to live in that accomplishment a little bit?

[Josh Van]

Well, like, being the champion right at the top is like, now that I know everybody trying to, you know, take that away from me, so I work even harder, man. You know, even the coaches, you know, they push me a little harder. And waking up early in the morning to. To go. Put. Put in work is never hard for me. You know what I mean?

[Daniel Cormier]

That.

[Josh Van]

That's. And if I don't do that, I get bored anyway, so. You know what I mean? It's good for me.

[Daniel Cormier]

You know, I don't think that. I don't think that I could be a champion at your age, money and all that. I would have been just too wild, man. How you not just a wild boy out there in Texas, dog. How. How are you not just wilding on tape? You the man, right? You the man. Right now, you like one of those. You like the basketball dudes down in Texas? Because you're a world champion. How you stand? How you stand? Grounded. You got a girlfriend or somebody that keep you on track, boy?

[Josh Van]

Nah, it's the coaches. The coaches?

[Daniel Cormier]

My mom crazy. If I was your age, a world champ with no girlfriend, the world would be in trouble for me, boy, I tell you that. Josh, I had a conversation before I let you go. What does Saturday night look like to you? What's your expectation? And. People would say, you're not the champ until you defend the champ. Do you agree with that? And also, what do you think Saturday night feels like for you?

[Josh Van]

Saturday, you know, the world will see, you know, that I am the best in this division. You know what I mean? So come fight day, I expect him to bring his AAME and I'll bring my A game, and we gonna find out who's a better man that night.

[Daniel Cormier]

And then. Do you agree with that? You're not the champ until you defend the belt.

[Josh Van]

No, I am the champ, and I'm.

[Daniel Cormier]

Ric Flair said that everybody. Everybody taking some shit Ric Flair said and making it like a true thing. Whenever they just decided in the back room that Ric Flair would be the champion, he didn't have to win, they just know, okay, Rick, you get the belt today, you get to defend it. Okay? I had a conversation the other day with these guys on my team, and one of the guys on the ultimate fight I'm coaching right now is from a very small country, and he goes, the United States have 300 million billion people. My country has seven. We all have the same amount of world champions. You only have Justin Gaethje. We only have so and so. I said, but we have Joshua Van.

[Josh Van]

No.

[Daniel Cormier]

He said, only Myanmar. I said, no, Joshua Van is of Myanmar descent. He's an American champion. Can we claim you as an American champion, Joshua Van?

[Josh Van]

Yeah, for sure. I'm a Burmese American. You know what I mean?

[Daniel Cormier]

Yes. There we go. Thank you for clearing that for me. I cannot wait to show it to the guy. Guys, the champ, Josh Van takes on Tessa Tyre this weekend at UFC328. Watch this young man. He is tremendous as well as he is electric on camera. Until next time, guys. Peace. Good luck, champ. Thank you for checking in.

[Josh Van]

Thank you.

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