The upcoming UFC event, scheduled for Saturday, January 13, at 4:00 PM ET for the prelims at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, showcases an intriguing flyweight clash between Felipe Bunes and Joshua Van at UFC Fight Night 234. For this opening night fight, Van is currently a moderate moneyline favorite at -250.

Bunes will be competing in his first UFC battle and has some positive momentum on his side. He has won his previous two fights, with the last one being a first round TKO over Yuma Horiuchi at Legacy Fighting Alliance 149 back in January of last year.

He has put together 13 wins, consisting of two knockouts, eight submissions, two decisions, and one that has resulted in “other”. Nine of these wins have been first round finishes and four of his six defeats have come by decision.

He has moved around various fighting organizations over the years and now gets a shot at the UFC. So far, he has gone 1-3 in ACA, 2-1 in LFA, and 1-0 in ACB. These were all against established competitors, which shows he at least has faced good fighters leading up to this point.

Bunes is currently ranked as the 74^th-best flyweight fighter in the world. Compared to Van, he is more than a handful away as Van is the 29^th-best flyweight in the world.

Van has won his first two UFC appearances and is currently on a seven-fight win streak dating back to early 2022. His most recent triumph was a unanimous decision over Kevin Borjas at UFC 295 in November of last year.

He has obtained nine wins so far, resulting in five knockouts, two submissions, and two decisions. In two of his wins, he was able to end the fight in the first round. His only defeat so far has come by submission.

“The Fearless” lands 52 percent of his strikes and 33 percent of his takedowns. While this might be a bit off due to just two UFC fights, his significant strike ratio is quite aggressive with 9.20 significant strikes landed each minute and 5.93 absorbed.

Van has managed to land 1.00 takedowns per 15 minutes of action. He also defends against significant strikes at 63 percent, while defending against takedowns at 88 percent.

Joshua Van is currently positioned as a moderate favorite (-250), courtesy of MyBookie. If you are leaning towards including Van in your betting slip, consider incorporating him into a parlay with other fights or exploring prop bets for the chance of an increased payout.

This should be an entertaining fight, with both fighters showing appealing striking and ground games. Look for Van to end this potentially by knockout.