Joshua Van defends flyweight title with unanimous decision over Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331
Joshua Van retained his UFC flyweight championship by defeating Alexandre Pantoja via unanimous decision at UFC 331, marking his second title defense.
Joshua Van retained the UFC flyweight belt on Saturday night at UFC 331, earning a unanimous decision (49-46, 49-47, 50-45) over challenger Alexandre Pantoja. The five-round bout, held at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, featured back-and-forth striking and grappling, with both fighters combining for nearly 700 total strikes.
Van, the 24-year-old champion, landed 259 of 392 attempts, while Pantoja connected on 159 of 300. The fight included five takedowns by Pantoja, but Van defended the majority of his opponent’s grappling attempts, stopping 11 of 16. In the final round Van scored the only knockdown of the night with a one-two punch combination.
After the fight Van said, "A lot of people said that was an accidental win the first time. Doubt me now." He added, "Shout out to Pantoja, nothing but respect from me. He's a tough competitor."
The victory marks Van’s second successful title defense and solidifies his standing among the division’s top fighters. Pantoja, a former champion, suffered his first two-fight losing streak.
Other results from the UFC 331 card included Arman Tsarukyan defeating Mauricio Ruffy by knockout, Patricio Pitbull winning by technical knockout over Doo Ho Choi, and Sean Sharaf knocking out Gable Steveson in the opening seconds of the heavyweight bout.