UFC 331: Pantoja vs. Van Rematch for Flyweight Title

The men’s flyweights step into the spotlight on Saturday night in Los Angeles, with a rematch that carries both a belt and a score to settle.

At UFC 331 inside Crypto.com Arena, former champion Alexandre Pantoja returns from a nine-month layoff to challenge Joshua Van for the title in the main event. The main card is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. ET.

Pantoja’s unfinished business

For Pantoja, ESPN’s No. 8-ranked pound-for-pound fighter, this isn’t just another title shot. Their first meeting at UFC 323 in December barely had time to breathe. In the opening seconds, Pantoja suffered a dislocated elbow, a freak injury that ripped away his belt and handed Van a TKO win and the men’s flyweight crown before the fight could truly start.

The result went into the record books. The rivalry did not.

Pantoja has spent the months since rebuilding the arm and the opportunity. A veteran of the division and one of its most seasoned competitors, he walks back into the cage with the same opponent, the same belt on the line, and a very different set of questions. This time, the intrigue isn’t about whether he can hold the title. It’s whether his body and timing will cooperate long enough for the fight to actually unfold.

Van’s rise and first true test

Van, meanwhile, has not stood still. With the belt around his waist, he took on Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328 in May and delivered the kind of finish that turns a new champion into a genuine threat. A fifth-round knockout against a dangerous contender didn’t just validate his title; it showcased his ability to carry power and composure deep into a fight.

He now walks into UFC 331 as the established champion, not the opportunist who capitalized on a bad break. The rematch with Pantoja offers him something just as valuable as the belt: the chance to prove that the first result was no accident, that he can beat the former champion in a full, grueling fight as well as in a chaotic opening exchange.

One man is chasing redemption. The other is chasing confirmation.

Tsarukyan returns, Ruffy brings the power

The co-main event belongs to the lightweights, and it has a very different kind of tension.

Arman Tsarukyan, one of the promotion’s most respected grapplers, steps back into the Octagon for the first time since November 2025. Long layoffs can dull a fighter’s edge. Tsarukyan has worked to make sure this one hasn’t. He has stayed active in competitive wrestling matches with RAF and kept his profile high with a growing fan base on social media, where his training and personality have turned him into a favorite among hardcore followers of the sport.

Across from him stands Mauricio Ruffy, a man who does not waste time when he gets his opening. Thirteen of his 14 career victories have come by knockout. His 2026 campaign has been brutal and efficient, with stoppage wins over Rafael Fiziev and Michael Chandler that underlined what everyone already knew: if Ruffy finds your chin, your night can end in a hurry.

The matchup is classic and compelling. Tsarukyan’s relentless grappling and pressure against Ruffy’s raw knockout power. One wants to drag the fight into deep water and drown the opposition in pace and control. The other wants to end it with a single, violent moment.

A night built on turning points

UFC 331 offers more than a title defense and a high-stakes co-main. It offers turning points.

For Pantoja, it is a chance to reclaim what an injury took away before he could defend it. For Van, it is the opportunity to close the chapter on any doubts about how he became champion. For Tsarukyan, it is a return to a division that has moved on without him. For Ruffy, it is the platform to show that his knockout streak belongs on the sport’s biggest stages.

Brett Okamoto, Jeff Wagenheim and Dre Waters will be on hand in Los Angeles, breaking down every shift in momentum as the flyweights and lightweights try to redraw the map of their divisions in one decisive night.