UFC 331: Van vs. Pantoja 2 Preview: Full Fight Card Breakdown
The UFC returns to Los Angeles for the first time since 2018, and the card they have built around the flyweight title rematch is one of the stronger numbered shows of the year. Joshua Van defends the championship against Alexandre Pantoja on September 19 at Crypto.com Arena, with a five-round lightweight co-main event, two featherweight matchups worth your attention, and a heavyweight welcoming committee waiting on the prelims.
Full Fight Card
| Fight | Weight Class | Card Section |
|---|---|---|
| Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja | Flyweight (Championship) | Main Card |
| Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy | Lightweight | Main Card |
| Patricio Pitbull vs. Choi Doo-ho | Featherweight | Main Card |
| Renato Moicano vs. Brian Ortega | Lightweight | Main Card |
| Iwo Baraniewski vs. Alonzo Menifield | Light Heavyweight | Main Card |
| Gable Steveson vs. Sean Sharaf | Heavyweight | Preliminary Card |
| Marlon Vera vs. Charles Jourdain | Bantamweight | Preliminary Card |
| Tai Tuivasa vs. Robelis Despaigne | Heavyweight | Preliminary Card |
| Osman Diaz vs. Ryan Gandra | Middleweight | Early Preliminary Card |
| Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Brunno Ferreira | Middleweight | Early Preliminary Card |
| Eduarda Moura vs. Casey O'Neill | Flyweight | Early Preliminary Card |
| Giga Chikadze vs. Joanderson Brito | Featherweight | Early Preliminary Card |
Main Event: Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja — Flyweight Championship
Van (16-2 MMA, 10-1 UFC) won the flyweight belt at UFC 323 in December 2025 after Pantoja (30-6 MMA, 14-4 UFC) suffered an arm injury 26 seconds into round one. Thirty seconds of action does not settle a championship, and both camps know it. Van is already one of the youngest fighters to hold UFC gold, and a clean defense here would go a long way toward establishing him as the genuine article. Pantoja won the belt in his own right with multiple defenses before the injury ended their last meeting, and he is not someone who makes the same mistakes twice.
The stylistic question is straightforward: Van brings a dynamic blend of wrestling and striking that he deploys at a pace opponents find difficult to manage over five rounds. Pantoja counters with elite grappling, a durable chin, and the experience that comes from fifteen UFC fights across nearly a decade on the roster. If this fight stays on the feet early, Van's timing and athleticism are factors. If Pantoja can slow the pace and grind, the later rounds become his.
The injury from UFC 323 adds a layer of uncertainty to Pantoja's preparation that neither side will discuss openly. Eight months have passed, which suggests the arm healed, but whether it changes his approach — his willingness to shoot, his clinch work — is something only contact will reveal.
Co-Main Event: Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy — Lightweight
Tsarukyan (23-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) has been one of the most consistently dangerous fighters in the lightweight division for three years, and a convincing win Saturday puts him back at the front of the title queue. Ruffy (14-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) is five fights into his UFC career and already looking like the kind of striker who can cause problems for anyone — fast, powerful, and dangerous in exchanges.
The stylistic contrast is clean. Tsarukyan wants to grind with pressure wrestling and take this into deep water where his conditioning and clinch work matter most. Ruffy needs to keep it standing, stay sharp with his distance management, and find openings before the wrestling takes over. Tsarukyan has publicly called a third-round finish. Ruffy kept the pre-fight talk short, calling Tsarukyan "probably the toughest challenger in the division" and said he would rather show than tell. This fight going five rounds favors Tsarukyan if the pattern of his career holds.
Notable Bouts
Patricio Pitbull vs. Choi Doo-ho — Featherweight
Pitbull (37-9) brings one of MMA's most decorated Bellator résumés into the UFC. A former two-division champion, he has struggled to find footing in the world's toughest featherweight division and sits at 1-2 in the UFC after a decision loss to Aaron Pico earlier this year. Choi (17-4-1) enters on a three-fight win streak that includes a "Fight of the Night" knockout and two stoppages. Both men come forward and carry finishing power. A Los Angeles crowd tends to reward that combination loudly.
Renato Moicano vs. Brian Ortega — Lightweight
Moicano is a complete fighter — capable on the ground, patient on his feet, difficult to finish. Ortega is a name the fanbase knows well, with a grappling game that has threatened every elite opponent he has faced and enough pop in his hands to end nights early. Both need a strong performance to stay relevant in a deep lightweight division. Moicano is the kind of opponent who will make Ortega earn every inch.
What Else to Watch
Gable Steveson, the two-time Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling, tests his credentials again in the heavyweight division against Sean Sharaf on the prelims. Whether elite amateur wrestling translates fully into UFC success remains an open question, and UFC 331 provides another chapter. Marlon Vera and Charles Jourdain at bantamweight is a prelim fight with finishing potential on both sides. On the early prelims, Giga Chikadze and Joanderson Brito at featherweight pits Chikadze's karate-influenced striking against a Brazilian finisher — an entertaining matchup to open the evening.