UFC cutman Brad Tate has recounted an amusing story about his initial encounter with current UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van. Van recently defended his title for the first time with a dominant fifth-round TKO victory over Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328. He is anticipated to face Alexandre Pantoja in a rematch next.
Brad Tate Details Joshua Van’s Nervousness Before His 2023 UFC Debut
In a recent interview, Brad Tate revealed that he met Joshua Van in an elevator shortly before Van’s maiden UFC bout in 2023 against Zhalgas Zhumagulov, a fight Van ultimately won by split decision. According to Tate, Van was far from the composed fighter he is today when he first entered the UFC. “The Fearless” was reportedly extremely anxious before his debut and required encouragement from his team to boost his confidence before stepping into the octagon.
Tate shared, “So I met this guy in the elevator. Short-notice fight. He was nervous as h*ll. He kept saying, ‘Man, I don’t know if I belong here.’ We had to talk to him and hype him up. Then he shows up at the arena for the first fight of the night. Nobody was even there yet. The dude was nervous as h*ll. I told him, ‘Bro, calm down. You got this. Flip that switch, you know?’ ‘I don’t believe I should be here.’ His hands were literally shaking, and he was sweating like crazy. Then they go out there for the first fight, and the dude he was facing wasn’t feeling well.”
Watch Brad Tate’s recounting of the story below:
😁😂UFC cutman Brad Tate tells a story how he met Joshua Van before Van’s first fight in the UFC:
“So I meet this guy in the elevator — short-notice fight. He was nervous as h*ll. He kept saying, “Man, I don’t know if I belong here.” We had to talk to him and hype him up.
Then… pic.twitter.com/mK48y8Bn4s
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) May 14, 2026
