UFC 331: Van vs. Pantoja Preview and Predictions

The City of Angels plays host to UFC 331 this weekend with a highly anticipated rematch headlining the card. The first time Alexandre Pantoja faced Joshua Van with the flyweight championship on the line, the fight ended prematurely with an injured arm of Pantoja forcing a halt to the contest. This weekend, the pair will look to settle the score without any controversy or excuses. If Pantoja can reclaim the belt, it will be quite a feat for the 36-year-old Brazilian at this stage in his career. Van will look to make his second title defense and continue what could possibly be a long reign as the division’s champion.

The co-main event is likely a title eliminator fight in the lightweight division as Arman Tsarukyan takes on Mauricio Ruffy. Tsarukyan has been the center of many a conversation about title shots over the past few years, but he has been at odds with UFC brass since pulling out of his scheduled title fight against Islam Makhachev at the last minute due to an “injury” that is rumored to be due to a botched weight cut. Ruffy has been on a roll lately, dispatching Michael Chandler in the first round of their UFC Freedom 250 bout.

Also on the main card is a featherweight clash between two veterans with a multitude of highlight-reel victories as Patricio Pitbull squares off against Doo Ho Choi. Both fighters are past the point in their careers where they could make a run for the title, but they remain relevant sluggers who deliver exciting performances. Pitbull has gone 1-2 so far since signing with the UFC but did notch a win over Dan Ige. Choi has put together a solid winning streak of three after a three-fight losing streak. Both men are past the midway point of their thirties, so they won’t be as fast as they once were, but they will likely slug it out until one man falls.

Rounding out the main card is a light heavyweight fight between Iwo Baraniewski and Alonzo Menifield. Renato Moicano was supposed to be taking on former featherweight title challenger Brian Ortega, but Ortega pulled out on short notice. Gable Steveson vs. Sean Sharaf was bumped up as a main card replacement fight.

The UFC 331 early prelims air live on UFC Fight Pass and Paramount+ starting at 5:30 p.m. ET, followed by the preliminary and main cards on Paramount+ at 7 p.m. ET and 9 p.m. ET, respectively. Mathew Petela and Andrew Sumian are here to preview the show.

The first fight between these two outstanding flyweights ended anticlimactically; will this fight be redemption for Alexandre Pantoja?

Sumian: This is easily in my top three must-see fights before the end of 2026. Pantoja has undeniably established himself as the second-best flyweight in UFC history and was one of the most active and entertaining champions before suffering the unfortunate arm injury in December of 2025. On the other hand, Joshua Van is simply not human; since joining the UFC in June of 2023, he has competed 11 times and claimed the UFC flyweight title along the way! That is averaging almost four fights per year, and the ultra-talented prospect has shown no signs of slowing down at the bright age of 24. Now, he will have to prove that the first fight was no fluke and take on an extremely motivated Pantoja who will be eager to reclaim his belt.

Between 2024 and 2025, one could have easily argued that Pantoja was a top-three pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC. He was handily defeating his opponents and defended the belt four times before suffering an injury against Van last year. What makes Pantoja so special is that he truly does everything well. He started his career as primarily a grappler and continuously developed his stand-up capabilities in the back half of his career. A prime and ready Pantoja is probably not losing to anyone at 125 today. However, the Brazilian is now 36 years old and coming off an injury. This division is only getting better. It is difficult to imagine the former champion being able to keep up for much longer.

The UFC flyweight division needed someone like Joshua Van, and they got one. It is crazy to think that he is still only 24 years old and not technically in his prime years. Van has developed at an extraordinary rate and seems to only be getting better with every performance. Despite Pantoja coming off an injury, this will certainly be the toughest test of his career, and he will have to dig deep and formulate a formidable game plan to take out his rival.

I am simply going with Van on this one. I believe the boxing, youth, and speed are going to be an issue for the former champion, especially being a bit older and coming off an injury. Pantoja’s best bet is to get this to the ground and avoid boxing exchanges with the champion. Even then, I can see Van getting up at some point and continuing to win the stand-up exchanges. This should make for a great fight with tons of action, but the belt will remain with the champion after a 49-46 unanimous decision scorecard.

Petela: I have to agree with Andrew on this one, begrudgingly. Alexandre Pantoja was absolutely one of the greatest flyweights ever to fight inside the UFC for a time. However, as the saying goes, Father Time is undefeated, and he comes faster for fighters at lighter weight classes. The combination of advanced age for a flyweight at 36 years old and trying to return to action after a hellacious injury will be too much for the Brazilian to reclaim the championship.

Joshua Van is going to be the flyweight champion for quite a while. He is getting better technically each time he fights and is becoming more and more well-rounded as his career continues. Pantoja hits hard, but he will be a half-step slower than he was in his prime, and that will cost him. Power is certainly the last thing to go, but you can’t hit what you can’t catch, and Van will be moving too fast for Pantoja to catch him flush. Simply put, Pantoja is the past, and Van is the present and the future of the flyweight division.

We have only seen Arman Tsarukyan fight twice since 2023; does he earn a title shot by defeating Mauricio Ruffy?

Petela: He sure does. As always, I will make a disclaimer that I am on record saying prior to his UFC debut that one day Arman Tsarukyan would be a UFC champion. He is one of three fighters about whom I’ve made that claim, Calvin Kattar and Benoit Saint-Denis being the other two, so take that for what it is worth. I don’t see anyone in the division beating him for a while. He strikes well enough to keep flashy and dynamic strikers like Mauricio Ruffy honest and unable to land anything substantial. Once he closes the distance and gets the fight to the mat, his wrestling is next level. In his debut, he gave Islam Makhachev a hard time and was able to scramble well with the welterweight champion. He has only gotten better, and while he has been out of MMA action for a while, he has been active on the freestyle wrestling mat and has looked good, even in his loss to Colby Covington for the cruiserweight title. This one will start slow, but by round two, it gets to the mat and Tsarukyan will start battering Ruffy until the referee halts the contest. Nobody will be calling for a fight with Tsarukyan after this performance.

Sumian: Let’s remind ourselves that Tsarukyan did earn a title shot and did not show up to fight Islam Makhachev after dropping out on less than 24 hours’ notice. Based on that, it was expected that he would have to climb his way back up after costing the company a main event. Fast-forward to today, and Tsarukyan is undeniably the most interesting contender at 155. He continues to get better and look dominant while staying relevant by competing in RAF on a consistent basis. Truthfully, I do not think the UFC loves the fact that he does not need them to be popular and relevant. The Armenian native has made a name for himself utilizing his RAF outlet and social media to garner even more fame than the first time he was scheduled to fight for the title. He should earn a title shot with a win on Saturday, but Mauricio Ruffy is not going to make it easy.

Mauricio Ruffy is must-see action. He is a very talented striker who undeniably reminds me of prime Conor McGregor. The way he moves, throws, and stalks his opponents is a thing of beauty, and he has gotten noticeably better since losing his first fight in the UFC to BSD. For Ruffy, this is all upside and nothing else. If he goes out there and gets tapped by Arman in the first or second round, it will be expected. But, if he can go out there and keep this on the feet and earn a finish, he is being shot out of a cannon and fighting for the title next.

I would really like to see Ruffy continue to move up the rankings and put on great performances. He is averaging an 87% takedown defense, which should come in handy for this fight. However, I just do not think it is going to be enough to stop the train that is Tsarukyan. This man is on a mission, and he will not stop until the belt is wrapped around the waist. Tsarukyan by third-round submission.

Who’s the biggest winner at UFC 331?

Sumian: Charles Jourdain. He is technically fighting backward in facing Marlon Vera on Saturday, but this will certainly be the biggest name on his resume. Vera is popular with the MMA community and well-known. I truly believe Jourdain is going to dominate him from start to finish and be the first man to finish him. I know this is extremely bold, but this bantamweight version of Jourdain is truly impressive. Jourdain by TKO in round two.

Petela: Ilia Topuria. With a stellar performance in the co-main event, there will be no denying Arman Tsarukyan a lightweight title shot. That’s the best thing that could happen to Topuria, who is simply not big enough for the division. With Tsarukyan next in line, the former double champ will get a chance to reclaim his featherweight belt and has a much better chance at getting that belt back than he does with the lightweight belt.

Who’s the biggest loser at UFC 331?

Petela: Gable Steveson. He is being gifted another squash match in his sophomore appearance with the UFC, but I don’t think he gets the win. Sean Sharaf isn’t a well-known name, nor is he an elite talent, but he has heavy hands, even by heavyweight standards, and in order to get the fight to the mat, Steveson is going to have to get through boxing range. I think the Olympic gold medalist gets clipped on the way in and goes down hard. Hype train gets temporarily derailed this weekend.

Sumian: Sean Sharaf. He is being served to Gable Steveson as prey on Saturday. Sharaf is 4-2 in his mixed martial arts career and is 0-2 since joining the UFC. Steveson will take this to the mat and score a quick TKO to cement his continued rise as the UFC’s most valuable prospect.

What one fighter’s UFC career is on the ropes at this event?

Sumian: It has to be time. Tai Tuivasa. He should have been gone three fights ago, but he is truly a shell of the former fighter that we had back in 2021. He is 0-7 since September of 2022 and has looked significantly worse every time he steps inside the Octagon. On top of that, he is taking on a terrifying Robelis Despaigne who is returning to the UFC and is eager to show why he belongs. I just do not see a reality with Tuivasa making it out of the first round, unfortunately. This should be the end.

Petela: Patricio Pitbull. This is the UNO Reverse card of the standard career path for elite fighters. Usually, Bellator would snatch up aging UFC fighters at the end of their career, but Pitbull fought his prime under the Bellator banner and came over to the UFC when the former promotion folded. He is 1-2 so far in the UFC, and a third loss in four fights with his price tag and at his age should be enough to get the UFC to release the former two-division champion.

Which fight is the sleeper match-up on this card?

Petela: Casey O’Neill vs. Eduarda Moura. O’Neill is a beast, and she’s simply fun to watch for several reasons. This one will be a dogfight that goes the distance with each gal having moments, but O’Neill will land with more volume throughout and earn the nod on the judges’ scorecards.

Sumian: The featherweight fight between Patricio Pitbull and Choi Doo-Ho is my dark-horse pick for fight of the night. Choi is still one of the most entertaining knockout artists at 145, and we have yet to see ‘Pitbull’ pull the trigger in the UFC. Both are going to bring out their inner warriors in this bout and beat the living soul out of each other before someone goes down.

Who takes home the “Performance of the Night” honors?

Sumian: Gable Steveson. This will be very different from his first fight. He had some fun and tested the waters on the feet, but he would be silly not to showcase his dominance as a wrestler this time around. It will be quick, impressive and violent.

Petela: Giga Chikadze. Maybe I’m just hoping to see a prime Chikadze but something is telling me that he will show up at the top of his game this weekend. He will be able to keep Joanderson Brito at distance with a plethora of kicks that target various parts of his opponent’s body and ultimately land that nasty turning side kick to the body referred to colloquially as the “Giga Kick.”

Pair this card with…

Petela: This one should be good, so get classy to celebrate and throw some ribeyes on the grill and crack open a nice bottle of red wine. This is going to have some high-level technical battles, which deserve more than just some beer and hamburgers.

Sumian: Armenian Kabob. This card features two Armenian fighters in Arman Tsarukyan and Edmen Shahbazyan. Both will be victorious in impressive fashion on Saturday night. Why not add some Armenian meats to the equation? In the Glendale, California, area, there are many great spots such as Raffi’s Place, Mini Kabob and Massis Kabob to guide your taste buds in the right direction. On paper, UFC 331 is one of my favorite cards of the year, and I expect it to deliver big.