Songpi/Los Angeles: Joshua Van has erased all doubts over his championship credentials after retaining his UFC flyweight title with a commanding unanimous decision victory over Alexandre Pantoja in a rematch at UFC 331 at the http://Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
The 24-year-old Myanmar-born star, who became the first UFC champion born in the 2000s when he first won the belt, entered the bout under immense pressure. His initial title win over Brazilian Pantoja in December 2025 had come in controversial fashion, after Pantoja suffered an accidental elbow dislocation just 26 seconds into the fight, leading many critics to label it a fluke victory.
On Sunday morning, Van delivered a definitive answer. Over five hard-fought rounds, he showcased superior striking, takedown defense and composure to beat the 36-year-old former champion at his own game. After the fight, an emotional Van told the crowd, “A lot of people said that was an accidental win, well, doubt me now,” as he improved his professional MMA record to 18 wins and just two losses.
The fight started with high intensity. Pantoja, known for his relentless grappling, took Van down in the opening minute of the first round and looked to impose his ground game early. He landed heavy punches and sharp knees in a fiery exchange against the fence, but Van responded with a slicing elbow that cut Pantoja and forced the Brazilian to reset. It was a clear sign that Van was not intimidated by the veteran’s pressure.
In the second round, Van began to find his rhythm. The champion, who moved to the United States with his family when he was 12 years old and trains out of Houston, Texas, started peppering Pantoja with crisp jabs and lateral movement. His boxing was on full display as he kept Pantoja at the end of his punches, frustrating the challenger’s attempts to close the distance. Van’s speed advantage became increasingly apparent as the round progressed.
The third round proved to be Van’s most dominant. He rocked the Brazilian with a fluid three-punch combination followed by a head kick that wobbled Pantoja. The Los Angeles crowd erupted as Van pressed forward, mixing in body shots and uppercuts. Pantoja showed his championship heart by surviving, but he was clearly behind on the scorecards and needed a finish. Van’s striking accuracy in this round was over 60 percent, according to UFC stats.
Pantoja, a former flyweight king who had defended the belt three times before losing it, showed his veteran savvy in the fourth round. He secured an early takedown and controlled Van on the mat for over three minutes. However, Van’s improved grappling was evident as he prevented Pantoja from passing his guard or finding an opening for a submission. He stayed active off his back, landing short elbows and preventing any significant damage, which minimized Pantoja’s control time advantage.
Heading into the final round, the fight was still competitive but Van held a clear lead. Knowing he needed a stoppage, Pantoja came out aggressive but left himself open. Van stalked him patiently, cutting off the octagon before landing a massive overhand right that dropped Pantoja with just over a minute remaining. Van followed up with ground-and-pound but Pantoja survived to the final bell. All three judges scored the bout 49-46, 50-45 and 49-46 in favour of Van.
With this win, Van defended the belt for the second time. He had previously defended it against Japanese contender Tatsuro Taira in May 2026, winning via split decision in a fight many considered Fight of the Year. Now, by soundly beating Pantoja again, Van can legitimately claim to be the best flyweight on the planet and has set up potential super-fights against bantamweight contenders in future.
In the co-main event, Arman Tsarukyan made a massive statement in the lightweight division. The Armenian-Russian contender stopped explosive Brazilian striker Mauricio Ruffy with two brutal elbows in the final seconds of the opening round, improving his record to 24 wins and three defeats. Earlier in fight week, Tsarukyan claimed UFC president Dana White had promised the winner of this fight would be next in line to face lightweight champion Justin Gaethje.
Tsarukyan was originally scheduled to face former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 in January 2025 for the title, but was forced to withdraw just 24 hours before the bout due to a serious back injury. Since then, he has been on a mission to earn his way back. After his knockout win, he said, “I needed the finish to get a title shot,” and called out Gaethje directly, setting the stage for a massive lightweight title fight later this year.
Meanwhile, Scotland-born Australian Casey O’Neill continued her inspiring comeback story. The 28-year-old flyweight submitted Brazilian Eduarda Moura with a slick armbar in the second round. O’Neill had spent 17 months out of action with a serious knee injury between August 2024 and March 2026, and many questioned if she would return to her best form.
Since her return, however, O’Neill has impressed with back-to-back stoppage victories. Against Moura, she escaped a tight submission attempt early, before flipping the Brazilian over her head in a spectacular transition and locking in the armbar to force the tap. It is O’Neill’s seventh win since signing for the UFC in 2021, having lost just two of her nine fights with the organisation, and puts her back in the flyweight top 10.
During Saturday’s broadcast, the promotion also confirmed the headline fights for UFC 334, which is set to take place at Madison Square Garden in New York on November 14. Interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane, 36, will face undefeated American Josh Hokit for the undisputed heavyweight title after the belt was vacated by Briton Tom Aspinall due to injuries.
Gane won the interim heavyweight title in June by beating former middleweight champion Alex Pereira. The Frenchman has failed to claim the undisputed heavyweight belt in three previous attempts, losing to Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones, while his fight with Aspinall ended in a no-contest because of several eye-pokes. His opponent, American Hokit, 28, is undefeated in 10 professional contests and has won four of his five trips to the UFC octagon inside the distance.
The co-main event for UFC 334 will see bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison make the first defence of her title against two-weight champion Amanda Nunes. Harrison, 36, and Brazilian Nunes, 38, were originally set to meet at UFC 324 in January but Harrison withdrew after sustaining a neck injury. Nunes, who is also a former featherweight champion, had vacated the bantamweight belt when she retired after beating Irene Aldana in June 2023.
Nunes is widely regarded as the greatest ever women’s mixed martial artist and is the only woman to have held titles in two divisions simultaneously in the promotion. She returned from retirement earlier this year. Harrison joined the UFC in 2024 and has won all three of her contests, with two of those victories coming via submission, including her title win over Julianna Pena in June. The fight is being billed as one of the biggest women’s fights in UFC history.
