UFC 331: Van vs. Pantoja Rematch Headlines Loaded LA Card

The flyweight belt changed hands in 26 chaotic seconds the first time Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja met. It wasn’t a knockout, a submission or a clinic. It was an injury – Pantoja’s elbow giving way before either man could truly get started.

On Saturday in Los Angeles, they finally get the fight they were supposed to have.

Van’s youth vs. Pantoja’s second act

Van walked out of that first meeting with gold around his waist and a cloud over his reign. The 24-year-old answered some of those doubts in May, surviving rough spots and then surging late to stop Tatsuro Taira in a five-round war. He showed he can adjust on the fly, dig out of bad positions and still carry fight-ending offense into the championship rounds.

Now he wants something different: validation. A clean win over the man he technically dethroned.

Across from him stands a 36-year-old Pantoja with a point to prove and a chip on each shoulder. He didn’t lose his belt in a firefight; he lost it on a freak moment. For a champion who bloomed late in his UFC run and turned himself into one of the best flyweights the division has seen, that stings.

Pantoja enters as the underdog at +114 against the -135 champion, but the numbers don’t capture the dynamic. He still brings deeper experience, more complete grappling and the memory of how much sharper he became after finally winning the title the first time. Van brings youth, speed and the kind of stubborn self-belief that carried him through the Taira storm.

Analysts are split. Some see Van’s growth curve and Pantoja’s mileage, the age, the recovery from that elbow injury, and they see a changing of the guard continuing. Others look at the Brazilian’s skill set and grit and see a veteran perfectly equipped to drag the young champion into deep water.

What’s clear is this: if Pantoja is ever going to beat Van, it probably has to be now, before the champion’s game matures even further.

Tsarukyan’s long road back to gold

The co-main event could easily headline its own card. Arman Tsarukyan returns to Los Angeles with unfinished business and a very specific target: the lightweight title shot that slipped away.

He was supposed to fight Islam Makhachev for the belt in January 2025, also in this city. An injury during the weight cut wrecked that opportunity and stalled his rise. More than 20 months later, he’s back in the same town, one win away – he believes – from finally getting that date with gold.

Standing in his way is Mauricio Ruffy, a dangerous, surging lightweight who has rattled off two thrillers already this year. Ruffy comes in as a +245 underdog, but his striking makes him live in every exchange. He kicks hard, he kicks often and he doesn’t mind chaos.

That style, though, leaves openings. Benoit Saint Denis tore through him on the mat in 2025, exposing a gap in his wrestling and grappling that Tsarukyan is perfectly built to exploit. The Armenian is a -305 favorite for a reason: he’s taken down everyone he’s faced in the UFC except the opponents he knocked out in the first round. Even Makhachev hit the deck in their debut meeting.

The blueprint is obvious. Ruffy’s kicks become entries. Tsarukyan’s pressure from top position wears on cardio and confidence. Where Saint Denis chased quick submissions, Tsarukyan may choose to grind, test Ruffy’s gas tank and break him down in the later rounds.

Ruffy insists he’s evolved, sharpened by work with Alexander Volkanovski. Tsarukyan, though, owns the broader arsenal – wrestling, durability, solid stand-up, big-fight experience. For him, this isn’t just another main event slot. It’s the final audition for a title shot that already should have been his.

Choi–Pitbull: fireworks on a timer

If the main and co-main offer high-stakes narratives, Dooho Choi vs. Patricio Pitbull promises something more primal: violence on a clock.

Choi’s career once looked like a cautionary tale. Three straight losses, momentum gone, questions about whether “The Korean Superboy” had already burned too bright. Then he reset. Now he rides a three-fight TKO streak and a four-fight unbeaten run, back to walking opponents into the kind of firefights that made his name.

Across from him is a legend. Pitbull is one of Bellator’s greatest champions, a two-division king who built his reputation on ferocity and finishing instinct. But he’s 39 now, coming off a brutal run of battles and the kind of damage that lingers. His grappling remains a real edge on paper, yet his body has absorbed years of punishment, including a savage outing against Aaron Pico.

Choi enters as a -285 favorite, Pitbull a +215 underdog, and the betting line reflects more than just skill. It reflects timing. Pitbull still has the tools to steal rounds, maybe even seize early control. Choi has youth, momentum and a style that doesn’t give aging legs much room to breathe.

This feels like one of those matchups where both men decide quickly that defense is optional. If Pitbull can turn it into a mixed martial arts bout – takedowns, control, forcing Choi to think – he can flip the script. If it becomes the brawl most expect, Choi’s pressure and power may simply be too much for a veteran at the tail end of a legendary run.

Steveson, Menifield and the rest of the powder keg

The main card opens with a guaranteed collision. Iwo Baraniewski, a -250 favorite, meets Alonzo Menifield (+205) in a light heavyweight slugfest that screams “stoppage or bust.” Both men swing heavy, both chase finishes, and neither is particularly interested in a slow feeling-out process.

Then comes one of the night’s most intriguing projects. Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson continues his transition from wrestling phenom to heavyweight contender against fellow prospect Sean Sharaf. The odds say it all: Steveson sits at a towering -2100, Sharaf at +1100. The expectation is clear – dominance, control, a finish. The reality of heavyweight MMA, though, is that one mistake can flip everything.

Lower on the card, the violence quota stays high. Heavyweight knockout artist Robelis Despaigne (-575) takes on fan favorite Tai Tuivasa (+425) in a bout that could end in a single exchange. Charles Jourdain (-205) meets Marlon Vera (+170) in a bantamweight clash with sneaky implications for a crowded division. Casey O’Neill (-230) faces Eduarda Moura (+190) in a women’s flyweight contest that could push the winner toward the rankings.

Featherweights Joosang Yoo (-225) and Michael Aswell Jr. (+185) add more intrigue, as do middleweights Ryan Gandra (-550) vs. Ozzy Diaz (+410) and Edmen Shahbazyan (-180) vs. Brunno Ferreira (+150). Joanderson Brito (-410) vs. Giga Chikadze (+320) rounds out a slate stacked with potential finishes.

A night built on questions

UFC 331 in Los Angeles isn’t just another numbered event. It’s a night loaded with turning points.

Can Joshua Van turn a technicality into a true passing of the torch, or does Alexandre Pantoja reclaim what he believes was never truly taken from him? Does Arman Tsarukyan finally punch his ticket back to Islam Makhachev, or does Mauricio Ruffy tear up the script with a statement win? And how much does Patricio Pitbull have left when the cage door closes and Dooho Choi starts to walk him into the fire?

By the end of Saturday, the answers will reshape three divisions – and maybe redraw the map for the next year of title fights.