MATCHUP TO WATCH | JOSHUA VAN VS REI TSURUYA
UFC flyweight Joshua Van was originally set to face No. 12 ranked Bruno Silva for a shot at climbing back into the rankings—until Silva was forced to withdraw due to injury.
Stepping in is undefeated prospect Rei Tsuruya, who shares the same goal: to make a statement on the UFC 313: Pereira vs Ankalaev prelims this Saturday on ESPN and break into the flyweight Top 15.
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After suffering his first UFC defeat last summer to No. 15 ranked Charles Johnson, Van quickly rebounded with consecutive victories over Edgar Chairez at UFC 306 and Cody Durden just three months later.
At just 23 years old, Van holds a 5-1 record in the UFC and is 10-2 overall as a pro with six knockouts and two submissions. But for the first time in his UFC career, he’ll face someone younger than him in Tsuruya, who is yet to taste defeat despite having the same number of wins.
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The 22-year-old Road to UFC flyweight tournament winner holds an undefeated record of 10-0. While he has less UFC experience than Van, Tsuruya’s three victories on his way to winning the RTU tournament, along with his unanimous decision win over Carlos Hernandez in June of last year, prove he’s ready to challenge established UFC-level competition.
With four knockouts, four submissions and four first-round finishes, Tsuruya is versatile, but his bread and butter is his grappling. In his three RTU bouts, which included a first-round knockout and a second-round submission, Tsuruya secured 12 takedowns and accumulated nearly 17 minutes of ground control time.
Once Tsuruya gets his opponent to the mat, he’s relentless in searching for a submission. In the RTU tournament final against Jiniushiyue, Tsuruya attempted three submissions before ultimately ground-and-pounding his way to victory, all in just the first round.
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It’s a completely different story for Van, who landed 184 and 183 total strikes, respectively, in his last two outings. In his most recent fight, Van dominated Cody Durden for 15 minutes, including a one-sided second round where he out struck Durden 73-27 while stuffing three takedown attempts.
While Van is no slouch on the mat, this matchup looks to be a striker versus grappler affair, with the winner being decided by where the fight plays out the longest, standing or on the ground.
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Both athletes will be aiming for an impressive win in a flyweight division that is already seeing significant movement in the rankings in 2025. This past weekend, Manel Kape stopped Asu Almabayev to strengthen his position in the flyweight title picture. Later this month, former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno headlines UFC’s return to Mexico City against Steve Erceg.
With the champion having five victories over current Top 8 flyweight contenders, the time is now for rising prospects to make their move. UFC 313: Pereira vs Ankalaev presents the perfect opportunity for both of these fighters to put their names further on the map.
Don’t miss a moment of UFC 313: Pereira vs Ankalaev, live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 8, 2025. Prelims start at 8pm ET/5pm PT, while the main card kicks off live on PPV at 10pm ET/7pm PT.
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Joshua Van vs Rei Tsuruya Pick, 03/08/2025 Predictions UFC 313 Odds
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Joshua Van vs Rei Tsuruya
UFC 313
T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
Saturday, March 8, 2025
Joshua Van will face off against Rei Tsuruya at UFC 313 on Saturday, March 8, 2025. The line has Van coming in at -205 while Tsuruya is coming in at +170.
Joshua “The Fearless” Van looks to add a victory to his record of 12-2-0. The 23-year-old is fighting at 125 lbs and stands 5’5″. The orthodox fighter has a reach of 65″. Rei Tsuruya stands 5’6″ and is weighing in at 125 lbs. The orthodox fighter holds a record of 10-0-0. The 22-year-old reaches 68″. When talking about significant strikes, Joshua Van lands 8.88 per min and Rei Tsuruya is landing 2.28 significant strikes per minute. Van lands 54% of the significant strikes he attempts and Tsuruya connects on 60%. In terms of defending in the Octagon, “The Fearless” takes 5.82 significant strikes per minute and Tsuruya allows 1.31. Van also curbs 60% of the significant strikes his opponents throw his way while Tsuruya prevents 46% of the shots thrown his way.
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In terms of grappling, Joshua Van is not as effective of a wrestler as he takes his opponents down 1.32 times per 15 minutes. Van is taking his opponents to the canvas on 63% of the times he tries and stuffing 80% of all takedown tries against him. Tsuruya is taking his opponents to the canvas on 50% of the takedowns he tries and stopping 50% of all takedowns attempted by his opposition. In terms of going for the submission, Van is the lesser skilled fighter by going for 0.3 submissions per 15 minutes while Tsuruya tries 2.5 submissions per 3 rds.
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The last time he fought, Joshua Van fought Cody Durden and took home the victory by unanimous decision in round 3. Durden ended up landing 74 of 223 total strikes that he let go. Van walked away from this fight having landed 184 of 323 total strikes. When it comes to significant strikes, Durden landed 70 of 217, which means his percentage was 32%. He ended up landing 60 of 203 significant strikes aimed at the head. In terms of stats for the opponent, Van landed 54% of his significant strikes by landing 165 of 304. Of all the significant strikes, he landed 131 of 262 to the head. 100% of the significant strikes connected on by Durden and 87% of them connected on by Van were done at a distance.
In the last fight for Rei Tsuruya, he faced off with Carlos Hernandez and ended up getting the victory in the fight by unanimous decision in round 3. Hernandez connected on 50% of the significant strikes he took from distance and Tsuruya connected on 11% of the significant strikes he tried at a distance. Tsuruya landed 53% of his significant strikes attempted by landing 17 of 32. He ended up landing 15 of 30 significant strikes to the head. Hernandez ended up connecting on 16 of 32 significant strikes in that contest. In terms of accuracy for the significant strikes, he ended up landing 7 of 23 to the head. In regard to total strikes that he threw in that fight, Hernandez connected on 26 of 45 while Tsuruya ended up connecting on 62 of 83 total strikes.
Other fights on the card to watch
Another fight that you’re going to want to watch is when Brunno Ferreira faces off with Armen Petrosyan. Ferreira comes into this fight with a record of 12-2-0. The 32-year-old tips the scales at 185 lbs and measures in at 5’10”. The orthodox fighter has a reach of 72″. Petrosyan comes in at 6’3″ and steps on the scale at 185 lbs. The orthodox fighter holds a mark of 9-4-0. The 34-year-old stretches 71″. Regarding grappling, Brunno Ferreira is averaging a takedown 0.50 times per 15 min while Armen Petrosyan takes his opponents to the canvas 0.19 times per 15 min. When it comes to striking, Ferreira is landing 3.76 strikes per min and is connecting on 50% of the strikes that he throws. Joining him in the Octagon is Armen Petrosyan, who connects on 52% of the strikes that he throws and connects on 5.95 per minute.
An additional fight that you’re going to want to see is when Carlos Leal is set to battle Alex Morono. Morono steps into the Octagon holding a mark of 24-11-0 (1 NC). The 34-year-old steps on the scale at 170 lbs and measures 5’11”. The orthodox fighter extends his reach 72″. Leal stands in at 5’11” and is fighting at 170 lbs. The orthodox fighter steps into the cage holding a mark of 21-6-0. The 30-year-old stretches 74″. Concerning grappling, Alex Morono curbs 47% of the takedowns fighters have gone for and is finishing his takedown attempts on 25% of his attempts. Leal is taking his opponents to the mat on 25% of his tries and defends against 89% of all takedown attempts. Concerning striking, Morono is taking 4.56 strikes/min while he is connecting on 4.96 strikes/min. Leal, on the other hand, absorbs 7.27 strikes/minute and is dishing out 7.13 per min.
Who will win tonight’s UFC match against the spread?
Josh Schonwald’s Pick: Take Rei Tsuruya (+170)
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| UFC 313 | Joshua Van | Rei Tsuruya |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Odds | -205 | +170 |
| Record | 12-2-0 | 10-0-0 |
| Average Fight Time | 13:19 | 10:20 |
| Height | 5’5″ | 5’6″ |
| Weight | 125 lbs | 125 lbs |
| Reach | 65″ | 68″ |
| Strikes Landed Per Minute | 8.88 | 2.28 |
| Striking Accuracy | 54% | 60% |
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Today’s Featured MMA Best Bet! DOC’S SPORTS UFC is back strong on Saturday with a 7-unit Top Play (Main Event of the Evening) winner from UFC 313 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV (12:30 a.m. on Sunday morning). Watch this event live on ESPN+ PPV and sign-up below with a daily picks package from UFC/Boxing/MMA below on the grid. This is a pick’em fight allowing you to max out on profits with this guaranteed selection. You can get this top rated play complimentary when you set up a free $60 account here at Doc’s Sports and use part of it towards his a one day MMA package. Join Now! |
| Start: | March 30, 2025 @ 11:30 PM |
| Expert: | Doc’s Sports Consensus Picks |
| Offered at: | BookMaker |
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