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Joshua Van had quite a hill to climb prior to his UFC 331 win over Alexandre Pantoja.

While Van pulled off a championship-worthy performance, most notably in the final round, the circumstances surrounding his camp were anything but ideal. Van suffered an injury early on in preparation, which greatly limited his sparring sessions. Speaking to UFC Hall of Famer Dominick Cruz on the “Love & War†podcast, Van reflected on the injury.

“I landed on my shoulder, and we just thought it was just like a little pain, and then the next day out of nowhere I can't move my shoulder no more,†Van said.

When Cruz mentioned that it must've been a “nerve-racking†experience, Van said he was more frustrated than anything else.

“Bro, it was irritating,†Van admitted. “You want to do all this stuff, but you can't really do it because you can't even lift your arm.â€

Van praised UFC's medical staff for ensuring that he would be ready prior to fight night, but he had to cut his recovery time by a week with how close he was to fight night.

“We found out it was a tear, and they gave me a stem cell shot, but you know they say two weeks off, but then it was already five weeks out,†Van recalled. “So, I'm like, ‘How am I supposed to take these two weeks off, right?' So, I was doing nothing but running.â€

The 125-pound king also noted that when he could finally spar two weeks before UFC 331, he hesitant to throw his right hand because he was still experiencing some pain. Van outlasted the rough camp to solidify his place at the top of the flyweight division. He defeated Alexandre Pantoja via unanimous decision in a “Fight of the Night†effort.

Many suspect that Manel Kape will be the next flyweight title challenger. For now, Van will look to rest up after a roller coaster camp and a gritty five-round affair.

Does Joshua Van's injury make his UFC 331 win even more impressive? Sound off in the comments below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM