UFC 328 fighters give glory to Jesus Christ after winning matches

Several mixed martial arts fighters used the spotlight following major Ultimate Fighting Championship victories to publicly share their Christian faith and give glory to Jesus Christ.

In a postgame interview Saturday, MMA fighter Joshua Van reacted to his victory in a match at UFC 328 in Newark, New Jersey, by proclaiming, “First of all, I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

“At the end of the day, man, I’m just a nobody trying to tell everybody about somebody who saved my life, and His name is Jesus Christ.” 

Van spoke further about his faith during a longer post-fight press conference, where he wore a cross around his neck. In response to a question asking him how his spirituality keeps him “centered,” Van declared, “My faith is everything.” 

“Without Jesus Christ, man, I wouldn’t be nothing,” he added. “It’s always to give glory to Him.”

When asked how his faith has changed the way he defines success “outside of the octagon,” Van credited his Christianity with keeping him “humble.” 

“I’m not the perfect [Christian], the perfect believer,”  he added, stressing that his faith always leads him back to Christ. 

Van wasn't the only fighter at UFC 328 to publicly thank Jesus Christ after securing a victory. In a postgame interview, Grant Dawson reacted to his victory by thanking members of his inner circle along with “my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

“I was given a gift and a platform, and I plan on using that gift and that platform to tell every man, woman and child that will listen, ‘There is no other God but Jesus Christ, there is no other judge but Jesus Christ, and, most importantly, there is no other way to salvation except through Jesus Christ,’” he said.

Dawson insisted that “your works cannot save you, how good of a person you are cannot save you, the only thing that can get you into Heaven is if the man on the middle cross says, ‘You can come.’” 

UFC 328 is the latest in a growing number of UFC events where fighters have openly discussed their Christian faith after winning matches.

After winning a March 28 UFC match, fighter Joe Pyfer revealed in a postgame interview that he "almost took my own life, like, a couple weeks ago, and I found God.”

“God restored me, baby. That’s the only reason I’m here,” Pyfer added. Were it not for God's intervention, “I’d be dead in a ditch somewhere.”

Pyler later expanded on his newfound faith in Jesus Christ during a pregame interview, saying, “I feel like I had an out-of-body experience with something that happened in my life where I was able to see who I was, and I was pretty disappointed. And I feel like God gave me a direction and gave me a chance to change my life, and it’s the craziest presence I’ve ever felt in my life.”