Fresh off a title defense, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight Champion Joshua Van attended a massive fan meet-and-greet in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Sunday.

He was joined by prominent singer and pro-democracy supporter Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein, drawing an enthusiastic crowd of at least 2,000 fans.

The weekend gathering was organized ahead of the Chin Refugee Committee (CRC) 25th-anniversary commemorative ceremony, scheduled for May 27, where both public figures are slated to appear as special guests.

Remembering his roots

“We organized the meet-and-greet separately because we expected a large crowd and the venue for the commemorative ceremony could not accommodate everyone,” the CRC stated in a press release on May 25.

During the event, Van shared his intention to revisit the specific area in Kuala Lumpur where he once lived during his time as a refugee in Malaysia.

Following his engagements in Malaysia, his broader Asia tour will reportedly include visits to Thailand and India.

From refugee to world champion

The 24-year-old mixed martial artist’s return to Southeast Asia comes just weeks after a historic milestone in his athletic career.

On May 9, Van successfully defended his UFC flyweight world title, securing a technical knockout (TKO) victory over Japan’s Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328 in Newark, New Jersey.

Van’s journey to the top of the UFC is rooted in a powerful story of survival. Born in Hakha, the capital of Myanmar’s Chin State, he and his family fled escalating regional conflict when he was just 10 years old.

He spent two years living in Malaysia as a refugee before his family ultimately secured resettlement to Houston, Texas, where he began his rapid ascent in the world of professional mixed martial arts.