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By Mallory Mattingly
MMA fighter Joshua Van thanked God after held on to his UFC Flyweight title on Saturday as he defeated Tatsuro Taira in the fifth round.
“First of all, I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” Van told Joe Rogan in the octagon after being declared the winner. “At the end of the day, I’m just a nobody who’s trying to tell everybody about somebody who saved my life, and His name is Jesus Christ.”
He also wrote “All Glory to God” on social media after the fight.
Related: UFC Champion Glorifies God After Victory: ‘Jesus Loves You’
According to ESPN, this fight was originally slated for April but was moved to May because Van needed time to heal from a minor injury.
Van “endured long stretches of being repeatedly taken down and controlled by Okinawa’s Taira but was persistent in getting to his feet and winning the striking exchanges. The blows eventually wore down Taira, and a late striking surge in the final round sealed the deal and earned Van his first official flyweight title defense,” ESPN reported.
“I said I was going to finish him inside of three rounds, and I was almost there,” he said in the octagon. “My coach said go to the body and finish him, and as soon as I did that, it was over.”
The Burmese MMA fighter relies on one Bible verse to keep him sustained throughout his life and his fights.
Romans 8:31 reads: “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
“Glory to God !! 🙏🙏 Thx you everyone for your love and support!! May God bless u all. #romans831,” Van wrote on social media last year.
Other UFC fighters use their platform to praise God.
“I need to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” Grant Dawson said after his UFC 328 victory earlier this week. “I plan to tell every man, woman and child [that] there is no other God but Jesus Christ. There is no other judge but Jesus Christ…There is no other way to salvation except through Jesus Christ.”
Earlier this year, UFC fighter Joe Pyfer said God prevented him from attempting suicide.
“I almost took my own life, like, a couple weeks ago, and I found God,” he said in a postgame interview. “God restored me, baby. That’s the only reason I’m here.”
Athletes like these using their platforms to point people to God will hopefully encourage their fans to seek the Lord and the freedom found in Him.
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