Joshua Van has been involved in a few clashes since his UFC debut in June 2023, and he expects to be involved in another clash this weekend.

Van, 23, faces Cody Durden in a flyweight bout at UFC 310 on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Van (11-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) knows the type of challenge that lies ahead.

“He’s a tough guy. He’s a very, very tough guy,” Van told MMA Junkie Radio. “He’s not that great in terms of his ability, but he’s got heart. He’s going to step forward and I’m going to step forward, so this fight is going to be an absolute blast.”

Four of Van’s five UFC fights have reached the third round, which wasn’t necessarily the plan, but he welcomes it.

“The goal is to take them out as quickly as possible,” Van said. “We don’t get paid for overtime, but I’m also looking forward to taking part in fights like this. These types of fights are what keep me excited about camp and everything else.”

Van said that after this fight until the end of 2024, he is already looking ahead and wants to be as active as possible in 2025. Given his ambitious plan, Van’s task would be to emerge victorious in the first round against Durden.

“The takeover is coming up next year, you know what I mean?” Van said. “If things go as planned, I would like to stay active for at least five to six fights. That would be crazy. That would be great. I just want to stay active next year.”

For more information on the card, check out MMA Junkie’s UFC 310 event hub.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Joshua Van expects UFC 310 fight with Cody Durden to be ‘a blast’