Houston-based UFC fighter reflects on his journey to becoming champion

Time hasn't faded any of the memories for Houston's UFC champion, Joshua Van. "I got here when I was 12," Van said. "I don't know how to speak English or nothing. I was a small guy so people were picking on me." Van had a decision to make when his family moved to Houston, which was to accept that he would be bullied every day or fight to stand up for himself.

"I wasn't gonna let other people step on me so I had to fight every day. And in the process of that I enjoyed fighting," he said. It didn't matter that the young boy from Myanmar didn't have any formal training. He just knew that he wasn't going to let other people take advantage of him or his family. So he started watching YouTube videos of fights and used everything he learned.

"What I see on YouTube or TV I would actually go try it out," he said with a smile. Van's mom paid for his first round of work in a gym, and she liked the transformation she saw in her son. "She starts seeing my life changing," Van said. "I didn't go out and start problems any more. I stayed in the gym trying to get better." Van trains as much as three times a day at different gyms.

The 24-year-old goes to work as the second youngest UFC champion in history. He won the title in December and handed the championship belt to his mom. "It was amazing," he recalled. Paying his mom back for all of her support is reward he always wanted. "That's just a dream come true," he said. Van insists that winning the title is only the beginning.

His hard charging style has made him a fan favorite, and he wants to keep the title here in Houston. He'll continue to train with one thought in mind, "Always going forward." For more on this story, follow Greg Bailey on Facebook , X and Instagram . At 24 years old, Houston's Joshua Van is the second youngest UFC champion in history.

At 24 years old, Houston's Joshua Van is the second youngest UFC champion in history.