Joshua Van silenced his doubters at UFC 331, winning a hard-fought five-round unanimous decision over Alexandre Pantoja to retain the UFC flyweight championship. The rematch delivered on every level. Their first meeting at UFC 323 had lasted just 26 seconds before a Pantoja arm injury ended proceedings. This time, there was no asterisk.
Full Results
| Fight | Winner | Method | Round | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja (FLW Title) | Joshua Van | Decision (Unanimous) | 5 | 5:00 |
| Arman Tsarukyan vs. Maurício Ruffy | Arman Tsarukyan | TKO (Elbow) | 1 | 4:56 |
| Patrício Pitbull vs. Choi Doo-ho | Patrício Pitbull | TKO (Punches) | 1 | 3:28 |
| Sean Sharaf vs. Gable Steveson | Sean Sharaf | TKO (Punch) | 1 | 0:12 |
| Alonzo Menifield vs. Iwo Baraniewski | Alonzo Menifield | Decision (Split) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Marlon Vera vs. Charles Jourdain | Marlon Vera | TKO (Punch) | 3 | 2:02 |
| Robelis Despaigne vs. Tai Tuivasa | Robelis Despaigne | Decision (Split) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Michael Aswell vs. JooSang Yoo | Michael Aswell | Decision (Split) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Ryan Gandra vs. Osman Diaz | Ryan Gandra | TKO (Punch) | 1 | 2:04 |
| Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Brunno Ferreira | Edmen Shahbazyan | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Casey O'Neill vs. Eduarda Moura | Casey O'Neill | Submission (Armbar) | 1 | 3:22 |
| Joanderson Brito vs. Giga Chikadze | Joanderson Brito | TKO (Punches) | 1 | 1:57 |
Main Event: Van Answers the Critics
Van entered the night with something to prove. The first meeting — where Pantoja suffered an arm injury just 26 seconds in — left a cloud over Van's initial title win. Critics said he never truly earned it. On Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena, he answered all of it.
Pantoja came out aggressive in round one, pushing the pace and showing the grappling threat that has defined his career. Van found his range by round two, using sharp movement and accurate punching to build his lead. By the championship rounds, the Canadian was the cleaner, fresher fighter. He dropped Pantoja in round five, putting an exclamation point on the performance. The final scores read 49-46, 48-47, and 50-45 in Van's favor. Both fighters earned Fight of the Night honors and $100,000 each.
In the Octagon, Van addressed critics directly: "A lot of people said that was an accident win the first time. Doubt me now."
Co-Main: Tsarukyan Makes a Title Statement
Arman Tsarukyan needed a dominant performance to force the UFC's hand at lightweight — and he delivered one. After more than four competitive minutes, he landed clean elbows in a clinch against the fence to stop Maurício Ruffy at 4:56 of round one. The finish earned Tsarukyan a $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus and a legitimate claim to the next lightweight title shot. At 27, with a finish rate this clean, he is the most dangerous man at 155 pounds not currently holding the belt.
Sharaf Stuns the MMA World
No one will forget the 12-second TKO of Gable Steveson. Sean Sharaf, a 32-year-old underdog, landed a single left hand in the opening seconds of round one that sent the Olympic wrestling gold medalist to the canvas. The finish ranks among the fastest heavyweight knockouts in UFC history and is one of the great upsets in the sport. Dana White added a special bonus on top of the $50,000 Proper Chaos award, bringing Sharaf's total night-of earnings to $100,000. The loss was Steveson's first as a professional.
Patrício Pitbull Makes His Mark
The longtime Bellator featherweight champion delivered his best UFC performance, stopping Choi Doo-ho with ground punches at 3:28 of round one. Pitbull landed a clean right hand that dropped Choi, then finished the job on the ground. The Brazilian collected a $25,000 finish bonus. He has made it clear he intends to be a factor at 145 pounds.
Prelim Standouts
Casey O'Neill earned $100,000 as Performance of the Night after submitting Eduarda Moura with a first-round armbar in their women's flyweight bout. It was called one of the slickest submission wins of the year. Joanderson Brito stopped Giga Chikadze inside two minutes to earn a $25,000 finish bonus and keep his momentum going. Marlon Vera retained his bantamweight standing with a third-round TKO of Charles Jourdain, also collecting $25,000. Robelis Despaigne added to Tai Tuivasa's woes with a split decision win at heavyweight.
Bonus Summary
- Fight of the Night: Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja ($100,000 each)
- Performance of the Night: Arman Tsarukyan and Casey O'Neill ($100,000 each)
- Proper Chaos + Special Bonus: Sean Sharaf ($100,000)
- Finish Bonuses ($25,000 each): Patrício Pitbull, Ryan Gandra, Marlon Vera, Joanderson Brito
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This article was generated with AI and may contain errors.