Quick Info
| Profession | Mixed martial artist |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Burmese-American |
| Date of Birth | 10/10/2001 |
| Age | 24 years |
| Birthplace | Hakha, Chin State, Myanmar |
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Bio/Wiki
| Full Name | Joshua Van Bawi Thawng |
|---|---|
| Nickname | The Fearless |
| Known For | UFC Flyweight Champion, first Burmese fighter in UFC, first 2000s-born UFC title winner |
Physical Stats & More
| Height | 5'5" |
|---|---|
| Weight | 124 lbs |
| Stance | Orthodox |
Personal Life
| Residence | Houston, Texas |
|---|---|
| Background | Fled Myanmar at age 10 to Malaysia, then to US at age 12; refugee family |
Career
| Professional Debut | 2021 |
|---|---|
| Early Career | Fury Fighting Championship, 7-1 record, won Flyweight title at Fury FC 72 on 18/12/2022 vs Cleveland McLean (submission R2) |
| UFC Debut | June 2023 vs Zhalgas Zhumagulov (split decision) |
| Notable UFC Wins |
|
| UFC Title Win | 06/12/2025 vs Alexandre Pantoja (KO/TKO R1, 0:26) at UFC 323 |
| Record | 16-2-0 |
| Team | 4oz Fight Club |
| Rankings | #10 UFC men's pound-for-pound (as of 10/03/2026) |
| Achievements | Second-youngest UFC champion in history (24 years, 57 days), first fighter born in the 2000s to win a UFC title, first Asian-born male UFC champion, first Burmese-born UFC champion |
Some Lesser Known Facts
| 1. First fighter from Myanmar in UFC | |
| 2. First Asian-born male UFC champion | |
| 3. Learned street fighting from YouTube after being bullied in school | |
| 4. Eight UFC fights in two years | |
| 5. Second-youngest active UFC champion at 24 years old | |
| 6. Won UFC title with fastest knockout in flyweight championship history at 26 seconds |