Joshua Van Dominates Alexandre Pantoja in UFC 331 Rematch

Joshua Van didn’t just keep his belt. He took ownership of the division.

The 24-year-old flyweight champion from Myanmar produced a commanding performance in Los Angeles, outclassing former champion Alexandre Pantoja over five rounds at UFC 331 to retain his title and close the book on any talk of a fluke.

Their first meeting in December 2025 ended after just 26 seconds, when Pantoja suffered an accidental elbow dislocation. The result handed Van the title but left a cloud of doubt. Not anymore.

“A lot of people said that was an accidental win, well, doubt me now,” Van said, after moving his professional record to 18 wins and two losses. The tone matched the fight: assured, ruthless, and utterly convincing.

Early fire, real jeopardy

Pantoja, 36 and fighting like a man who knew this might be his last shot at gold, started with intent. He dragged Van to the canvas in the first round and forced the champion into uncomfortable positions. On the feet, the Brazilian let his hands and knees go in a wild, fiery exchange that briefly had Van on the back foot.

Van’s response was cold and sharp. He split Pantoja with a slicing elbow, a reminder that even in the chaos, he sees everything.

The challenger had his moments, but he couldn’t keep the champion down for long. Once Van settled, the fight began to tilt.

Jab, rhythm, control

In the second round, Van’s game took shape. The man who moved to the United States at 12 and became the first UFC champion born in the 2000s started to look every inch the modern prototype: fast, precise, and utterly composed.

He peppered Pantoja with stiff, left-handed jabs, disrupting the Brazilian’s entries and rhythm. Each jab carried intent, not just scoring but slowly eroding Pantoja’s confidence. By the third, Van was flowing, stitching together a fluid combination of punches that rocked the former champion and underlined the shift in momentum.

Pantoja, durable as ever, refused to fold. He walked through punishment and kept looking for openings, but Van’s speed and timing were beginning to separate them.

Veteran grit, champion’s answer

The fourth round brought one last surge from the challenger. Pantoja turned again to his grappling, taking Van down and trying to drag the fight into his world. He controlled long stretches of the round from top position, hunting for angles and openings to set up a submission.

Van stayed calm. No panic, no reckless scrambles. He defended, tied Pantoja up, and refused to give away his neck or arms. Pantoja won the frame, but he couldn’t find the finish he needed.

That missed opportunity hung over the final five minutes.

Statement in the fifth

With the fight still within reach, Van walked out for the last round like a man determined to remove any doubt. He stalked Pantoja, cutting off the cage, forcing the older fighter into retreat.

Then came the exclamation point.

An overhand right crashed through Pantoja’s guard and sent him to the canvas. The champion didn’t need a wild follow-up; the damage was done. Van controlled the remainder of the round, and by the final horn there was no suspense left for the judges. The scorecards confirmed what the fight had already made clear: Joshua Van is the man at flyweight.

From a disputed coronation to a definitive reign, the arc is complete. The belt is his. So, now, is the division.

O’Neill shines with slick submission

Earlier in the night, Scottish contender Casey O’Neill added her own highlight to the card. She submitted Eduarda Moura with a clinical armbar, a sharp reminder of her growing threat in the women’s ranks.

On a night built around a young champion proving he belongs at the top, O’Neill’s finish carried its own message: there are more rising forces coming, and they’re not waiting politely for their turn.