Joshua Van Defends Flyweight Title Against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331

The Road to the Rematch and Their First Encounter

The championship bout serves as a rematch of their bizarre first meeting this past December at UFC 323, where Joshua Van claimed the title under unusual circumstances. Just 26 seconds into the fight, Alexandre Pantoja suffered a gruesome arm injury—specifically described by analysts as a dislocated elbow—that abruptly halted the Brazilian’s reign and ended the contest via TKO injury stoppage.

Before that abrupt ending, Pantoja had held the flyweight crown since defeating Brandon Moreno in July 2023, successfully defending the belt four consecutive times. Van, who earned Fighter of the Year honors after securing four wins in 2025, became the second-youngest champion in UFC history behind Jon Jones when he captured the belt from Pantoja. At 24 years old, Van is currently the only reigning UFC champion younger than 33. Following his title victory, Van made his first successful defense by stopping Tatsuro Taira in the fifth round at UFC 328 in May.

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Fighter Profiles, Striking Statistics, and Betting Odds

Heading into Saturday’s clash, Joshua Van carries a 17-2 professional record and stands as a slight betting favorite, listed around -130 to -140 depending on the sportsbook, while the 36-year-old Pantoja holds a 30-6 record and sits as a +110 to +115 underdog. The current betting lines represent a significant swing from the opening odds, which initially installed the former champion as the favorite.

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Statistically, Van brings a high-volume striking approach into the octagon, averaging 8.43 significant strikes per minute while landing 125 against Bruno Silva, 204 against Brandon Royval, and 131 against Tatsuro Taira, alongside 0.82 takedowns landed per 15 minutes. Pantoja averages 4.38 significant strikes and 2.79 takedowns landed per 15 minutes. Despite being inactive in the UFC octagon since December due to his arm injury, Pantoja has kept busy competing in RAF and staying active in training.

Confident ahead of the main event, Van stated to Full Send MMA regarding his challenger: We’ve studied him and seen a little hole that he has in his game that we are going to capitalize on. There’s a couple of things I can’t speak on, but it’s going to be done within three rounds.

Full Fight Card and Supporting Lineup

Beyond the flyweight championship headliner, UFC 331 features a deep lineup across its preliminary and main cards:

• Lightweight Co-Main Event: Arman Tsarukyan (23-3) vs. Mauricio Ruffy (14-2) in a five-round high-stakes showdown. Tsarukyan is the UFC’s No. 2-ranked lightweight contender, while Ruffy is coming off a June stoppage victory over Michael Chandler at UFC Freedom 250.
• Featherweight Bout: Patricio Pitbull vs. Doo Ho Choi. Choi enters on a three-fight win streak by TKO, while Pitbull arrives as a former Bellator two-division champion.
• Heavyweight Bout: Gable Steveson vs. Sean Sharaf, marking the Olympic gold medalist’s second UFC appearance.
• Light Heavyweight Bout: Iwo Baraniewski vs. Alonzo Menifield.

The preliminary card features bantamweight action between Marlon Vera and Charles Jourdain, heavyweight pairing Tai Tuivasa and Robelis Despaigne, featherweights Michael Aswell Jr. and Joo Sang Yoo, and middleweights Ryan Gandra and Ozzy Diaz. The early prelims open with Edmen Shahbazyan versus Brunno Ferreira, women’s flyweight competitors Casey O’Neill and Eduarda Moura, and featherweights Giga Chikadze and Joanderson Brito.

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