The final pay-per-view of the ESPN era brings a changing-of-the-guard energy with it, and no matchup captures that shift better than Alexandre Pantoja vs. Joshua Van. One is a champion who climbed the mountain the hard way, starting his UFC journey in 2017 and capturing the flyweight crown in 2023. The other is a 24-year-old prodigy who insists the moment is no accident.

As Van recently stated in an interview with CBS Sports , “ It ain’t too soon, it’s perfect timing. I’m just well prepared. I’m very, very excited for this fight, bringing in the new era of fighters.”

So here we are: a 35-year-old champion who refuses to fade, meeting a 24-year-old with a pace that seems designed to break the sport’s clock. Will experience hold the line? Or is this the night the flyweight division

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