Van Defends Flyweight Title Against Pantoja in UFC 331 Rematch
Joshua Van will face Alexandre Pantoja in a flyweight title bout at UFC 331 in Los Angeles, marking Pantoja's return after a nine-month injury layoff.
Joshua Van will defend his men’s flyweight championship against Alexandre Pantoja in the main event of UFC 331 on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The bout is a rematch of their December meeting at UFC 323, where Van won by technical knockout after Pantoja suffered a dislocated elbow early in the fight. Pantoja, ranked No. 8 pound-for-pound by ESPN, has been sidelined for nine months while recovering from the injury. Van has remained active, securing a fifth-round knockout over Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328 in May to retain the belt.
The co-main event will feature top-10 lightweights Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy. Tsarukyan returns after his last fight in November 2025 and has stayed sharp through competitive wrestling matches, while Ruffy enters the contest with 13 knockouts in his 14 career victories, including recent wins over Rafael Fiziev and Michael Chandler in 2026. Analysts Brett Okamoto, Jeff Wagenheim and Dre Waters will provide commentary throughout the event.