"Fight of the year" - Joe Rogan and the MMA world erupt as Joshua Van defeats Brandon Royval in an absolute slugfest  

UFC commentator Joe Rogan and MMA fans have reacted to the flyweight barn burner between Brandon Royval and Joshua Van on the main card of UFC 317.

The title eliminator matchup between Royval and Van turned into a three-round slugfest. Van emerged victorious via unanimous decision and is now set to clash with Alexandre Pantoja for the flyweight championship next. Pantoja successfully defended his title against Kai Kara France in the co-main event of the same card, and the two respective winners face off inside the octagon.

Rogan interviewed Van inside the octagon in the immediate aftermath of his bout. Van asked the fans present in the arena if they believed that this was a potential fight of the night contender; however, Rogan suggested that it could potentially be the fight of the year. He said:

"That might have been fight of the year."

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Check out Joe Rogan's words below (2:14):

The MMA world erupted on social media, with several professional fighters reacting passionately to the thrilling battle between 'Raw Dawg' and Van. Former two-weight UFC champion Henry Cejudo wrote:

"Royval vs Van. Fight of the Year. #UFC317"

Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman chimed in and gave props to both fighters for putting on a show for the fans. He wrote:

"Props to both those guys. So Good!"

UFC flyweight contender Casey O'Neill pointed out Van's young age and stated that the 23-year-old has a bright future ahead. She wrote:

"What a scrap and what a story for Joshua Van. 23 y/o and a big future ahead of him. He’s a star! #ufc317"

Adrian Yañez appreciated Van's performance and labeled him "an absolute monster." He wrote:

"Let's go!! Van is an absolute monster!! #ufc"

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Edited by Shehryar Edibam