Joshua Van, the Next Superstar? | Where Gable Steveson Goes From Here — Fight Time with Mikey P Wednesday 9/23/26

Mikey P and Lia Dorchinez work "backwards to the future," starting with UFC 331:

• Casey O'Neill: a first-round armbar over Eduarda Moura. Leah says it is proof you don't sleep on the women's fights.
• Tai Tuivasa: a gritty split-decision loss to Robelis Despaigne, his eighth straight defeat. Mikey P wants the UFC to give him a fairer stylistic matchup if he stays.
• Chito Vera: an emotional TKO of Charles Jourdain.
• Alonzo Menifield: a split-decision win over Iwo Baraniewski, fought through a mangled thumb.

The centerpiece is Sean Sharaf knocking out Gable Steveson in 12 seconds as a heavy underdog. Mikey P's line is that "a fighter is not determined by his betting odds." Leah calls Steveson's early exit from the cage disrespectful but human. Mikey P plays devil's advocate on whether the walkout only adds to Sharaf's moment. They float Anthony Wint and Tai Tuivasa as possible next opponents, while flagging the brain-health risk of two heavy hitters back to back.

The pair then move on:

• Arman Tsarukyan: his knockout of Mauricio Ruffy, which they say puts him next in line for a title shot.
• Joshua Van: his title defense over Alexandre Pantoja. Both hosts say the 24-year-old is the UFC's next young superstar.
• Contender Series: Tuesday's night where both fighters in two different bouts earned contracts (Alvi Dasuyev and Jaden Ortega, Piero Guaylupo and Callum Connor), plus a likely second look for Norbert Novenyi Jr.
• PFL: Mikey P's tribute to John Martin, who is stepping down as CEO of MVP-PFL, and his message to fighters and fans to stick with the promotion.
• The weekend: Leah's pick is BKFC 94: Till vs. Romero in Manchester. They also preview Bryce Mitchell vs. Mikey Musumeci at UFC BJJ and Raul Rosas Jr. at UFC Fight Night.

Housekeeping: Destiny McCubbin joins Fight Time next week ahead of her Power Slap bout with Emily Whitmire. Like, subscribe and turn on notifications on BTT Sports.

Episode Timestamps Time Segment 00:00 The bell has sounded: welcome 01:10 UFC 331: Casey O'Neill's armbar 03:30 Edmen Shahbazyan and Tai Tuivasa's split-decision loss 05:26 Chito Vera stops Charles Jourdain 06:50 Alonzo Menifield gutting out a win 07:50 Sean Sharaf KOs Gable Steveson in 12 seconds 10:40 The walkout: disrespect or pride? 17:35 What's next for Steveson: Anthony Wint? Tuivasa? 21:15 Arman Tsarukyan KOs Mauricio Ruffy: title next? 22:50 Joshua Van retains against Pantoja: the next superstar 25:00 Contender Series: both fighters signed, twice 27:46 Norbert Novenyi Jr. and Dana White getting it right 29:05 PFL CEO John Martin steps down 34:00 Weekend preview: Darren Till vs. Yoel Romero at BKFC 36:10 UFC BJJ: Bryce Mitchell vs. Mikey Musumeci 36:50 UFC Fight Night and Raul Rosas Jr. 38:38 Next week: Destiny McCubbin 41:25 Sign-off

BTT Studios delivers the best in sports, entertainment, and culture.

Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@watchbttsports Instagram: @watchbttsports Twitter/X: @watchbttsports #BTTStudios #Podcast #Sports #Entertainment

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.