Joshua Van defends UFC flyweight title against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331

Flyweight title rematch in Los Angeles

Joshua Van defends his Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight title against former champion Alexandre Pantoja at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Saturday, 19 September 2026. The headline bout is scheduled for five rounds. The matchup marks a direct rematch of their December 2025 contest at UFC 323, where Van became the second-youngest champion in UFC history by winning the belt in 26 seconds. In that initial encounter, Van caught a kick from Pantoja and pushed him to the ground, causing the Brazilian to suffer a dislocated elbow as he landed. Van, a 24-year-old native of Myanmar known for his speed and striking, enters the cage with a professional record of 17 wins and 2 losses. Pantoja, 36, brings an overall record of 30 victories and 6 defeats into the octagon.

Title reigns and paths to UFC 331

Pantoja originally captured the flyweight championship from Brandon Moreno in 2023 and completed four consecutive successful title defenses, finishing his final two defenses with rear-naked chokes. His resumé includes victories against Moreno, Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, Kai Asakura, and Kai Kara-France. A victory on Saturday will make Pantoja the third athlete to regain the UFC flyweight belt, following Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo. Van consolidated his title reign in May, defeating Tatsuro Taira by technical knockout in the fifth round with a front kick and punches. Betway betting odds list Van as the favourite at 8/11, while Pantoja stands at 11/10.

Main card lineup and contenders

The co-main event features a lightweight meeting between Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy, where the victor is expected to earn a future championship opportunity. Betway odds place Tsarukyan at 1/3 and Ruffy at 9/4. The five-bout main card also includes Patricio Pitbull against Dooho Choi at featherweight, Gable Steveson facing Sean Sharaf at heavyweight, and Alonzo Menifield taking on Iwo Baraniewski at light-heavyweight. The preliminary lineup features Marlon Vera against Charles Jourdain, Tai Tuivasa facing Robelis Despaigne, Michael Aswell Jr against Joosang Yoo, and Ryan Gandra competing with Ozzy Diaz. The early preliminary section consists of Edmen Shahbazyan versus Brunno Ferreira, Casey O'Neill against Eduarda Moura, and Giga Chikadze against Joanderson Brito.

Broadcast schedule and event details

The event follows UFC 330 in Philadelphia, where Islam Makhachev defended the welterweight championship against Ian Machado Garry in August. The schedule at Crypto.com Arena begins with early prelims at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (2:00 p.m. Pacific Time / 10:00 p.m. British Summer Time). Regular prelims follow at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time, before the main card commences at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Walkouts for Van and Pantoja are scheduled for approximately 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time. In the United States, Paramount+ streams the entire card through Essential plans at $8.99 monthly or Premium plans at $13.99 monthly, with early prelims available on UFC Fight Pass and segments broadcast on CBS. United Kingdom coverage airs on TNT Sports, alongside access through HBO Max, EE TV, Virgin Media, Amazon Prime Video, and Sky Sports.