Joshua Van may not have Demetrious Johnson conceptualized as the No. 1 flyweight of all-time. But even if you disagree, you can’t really blame him.

“I never watched Johnson,” Van told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. “You’ve got to remember I started watching after 2017. All I’ve seen is (Alexandre) Pantoja. Don’t get me wrong. Johnson is one of the greats, but Pantoja is probably the greatest right now because that’s what I see and what I watched. … I didn’t even know what UFC and MMA was at that time.”

Regardless of whether he’s No. 1, No. 2, or somewhere else on your all-time divisional rankings, Van (15-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) wants you to hold Alexandre Pantoja (30-5 MMA, 14-3 UFC) in the utmost highest regards. They fight Dec. 6 at UFC 323 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Van shot down the narrative of old school vs. new school, one that Pantoja mentioned to MMA Junkie on Monday.

“I don’t like that,” Van said. “You know how people say he’s unbeatable and stuff like that? I don’t want people to turn this into old vs. young. I don’t like that. This is the guy, the Pantoja that everybody says is unbeatable. I don’t want to hear, ‘Oh, he’s old. He’s getting old this and that.’ I feel like he will come in and he’ll be the best Pantoja you can see.”

People can talk all they want. But the biggest narrative of them all will be what happens when Van challenges Pantoja for the flyweight title. Van predicts he gets it done inside the distance, but is also prepared for if he doesn’t.

“I feel like I’m going to knock him out inside three rounds,” Van said. “If not, it’s going to be a war. You know Pantoja. That motherf*cker is going to bring it and I’m going to bring it. I’m thinking inside three rounds, but I’m prepared for a five-rounder, too. Yeah, let’s just see come Dec. 6. Because you know we can all make game plans, but come fight day, it’s completely different. I’m well-prepared for everything, man, of what he’s going to bring to the table come fight night.”

Regardless of outcome, Van can hang his hat on an accomplishment that makes him very proud. As has been the case for many of his fights, Van is excited to put his home country on the highest MMA stage it’s ever been.

“That’s one of the main ones: to let the world know of Myanmar,” Van said. “Not a lot of people know Myanmar. They don’t even know how to say Myanmar. For me to represent my country and the country of Myanmar that night is going to be one of the greatest moments of my life. My mom, my family, my church pastor is going to be there. Everybody is going to be there. I can’t wait to show what I’ve been working on and represent my country.”

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Joshua Van expects the GOAT at UFC 323 – even if his opinion is skewed