Joshua Van Retains Flyweight Title In Rematch With Alexandre Pantoja
After the way their first fight ended last December, Joshua Van had something to prove in his rematch with Alexandre Pantoja on Saturday night in Las Angeles at UFC 331, and he certainly accomplished that goal through relentless speed and pressure to earn the unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards.
The pair first met at UFC 323 last year, but the fight didn’t go the way any had hoped, with Pantoja suffering an injury to his arm as a result of attempting to post on it during a takedown. The fight was waved off almost immediately, and as a result, Van was declared the winner and new undisputed flyweight champion.
While Pantoja was out of action, Van successfully defended the title with a stoppage victory against Tatsuro Taira, leaving little doubt in anyone’s mind that he deserved to be holding the belt. But now, with the unanimous decision following a five-round war of a rematch with Pantoja, Van has solidified himself even further as a true, undisputed champion.
After facing some adversity in the grappling department early in the match, Van took off with his striking, primarily his combination punching. While Pantoja was somewhat able to keep things competitive, it was clear Van was pulling further away in the scoring after the vast majority of the exchanges through the championship rounds, which ultimately led to the victory after 25-minutes of combat.
BIG MOMENT FOR THE CHAMP
We’re heading into the championship rounds!!!
[ #CryptoCom #UFC331 is LIVE NOW on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/jqghr3e8rc
— UFC (@ufc) September 20, 2026
UFC 331 Full Card Results
Main:
Joshua Van def. Alexandre Pantoja via Decision (Unanimous) – 49-46, 49-47, 50-45
Arman Tsarukyan def. Mauricio Ruffy via knockout (Elbows) – Round 1, 4:56
Patricio Freire def. Dooho Choi via knockout (Punches) – Round 1, 3:28
Sean Sharaf def. Gable Steveson via knockout (Punches) – Round 1, 0:12
Alonzo Menifield def. Iwo Baraniewski via Decision (Split) – 29-28, 28-29, 29-28Preliminary:
Marlon Vera def. Charles Jourdain via TKO (Punches) – Round 3, 2:02
Robelis Despaigne def. Tai Tuivasa via Decision (Split) – 29-28, 28-29, 29-28
Michael Aswell def. JooSang Yoo via Decision (Split) – 29-28, 28-29, 29-28
Ryan Gandra def. Ozzy Diaz via knockout (Punches) – Round 1, 2:04
Edmen Shahbazyan def. Brunno Ferreira via Decision (Unanimous) – 29-28, 29-28, 30-27
Casey O’Neill def. Eduarda Moura via Submission (Armbar) – Round 1, 3:22
Joanderson Brito def. Giga Chikadze via Knockout (Punches) – Round 1, 1:57