7 hours ago
11
EXPLAINER
Van and Pantoja to fight for flyweight title, while Tsarukyan faces the dangerous Mauricio Ruffy at lightweight.
Published On 6 Aug 2026
Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja will headline UFC 331 in September in a flyweight title rematch on September 19 in Los Angeles, officials announced on Thursday.
Van won the title in their first bout with a first-round TKO in December that was blighted by an early injury to the defending champion Pantoja.
Recommended Stories
list of 4 items- list 1 of 4McGregor injures knee, loses in 69 seconds against Holloway on UFC return
- list 2 of 4California gets Bruce Lee Day in a first for US state’s Chinese Americans
- list 3 of 4FBI says it foiled ‘planned attacks’ targeting White House UFC event
- list 4 of 4Gaethje shocks Topuria to win UFC lightweight title at White House event
Meanwhile, lightweights Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy will fight in the co-main event.
Here’s everything you need to know about this card.
Van-Pantoja rematch: What happened in the first fight?
The co-main event fight at UFC 323 in Las Vegas lasted just 26 seconds as then-champion Pantoja (30-6) dislocated his elbow when he fell to the mat after Van (17-2) caught a kick and was unable to continue.
Van, aged just 24, became one of the youngest champions in the promotion’s history and ended Pantoja’s eight-fight win streak – including four defences of his title.
While Pantoja has been in rehabilitation since the loss, Van defended his title at UFC 328 when he knocked out Tatsuro Taira in the fifth round. Van is now on a seven-fight win streak.
Pantoja’s freak injury and the nature of the loss meant a rematch with Van was inevitable.
Alexandre Pantoja reacts after his injury in the first bout [Stephen R Sylvanie/Imagn Images via Reuters]Tsarukyan: one of UFC’s biggest stars returns to the Octagon
While Tsarukyan (23-3) has been wrestling in the Real American Freestyle promotion recently, he last fought in the Octagon in November 2022 at Qatar UFC, when he beat Dan Hooker in the second round with an arm-triangle choke submission.
Tsarukyan is eager to work his way back to a title shot against Russia’s Islam Makhachev after the Armenian was forced to pull out of their fight in January 2025 with an injury.
But he faces a dangerous rising star in Ruffy (14-2), who most recently knocked out Michael Chandler in the first round of their bout at the UFC Freedom 250 event in June.
When and where is UFC 331?
UFC 331 is set to take place on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, United States.
Early prelims begin about 5pm ET (21:00 GMT), prelims at 7pm ET (23:00 GMT), and the main card starts at 9pm ET (01:00 GMT on Sunday).
What is the full fight card lineup?
- Joshua Van vs Alexandre Pantoja
- Arman Tsarukyan vs Mauricio Ruffy
- Patricio Pitbull vs Doo-ho Choi
- Renato Moicano vs Brian Ortega
- Alonzo Menifield vs Iwo Baraniewski
- Gable Steveson vs Sean Sharaf
- Marlon Vera vs Charles Jourdain
- Tai Tuivasa vs Robelis Despaigne
- Edmen Shahbazyan vs Brunno Ferreira
- Giga Chikadze vs Joanderson Brito
- Casey O’Neill vs Eduarda Moura
- Ryan Gandra vs Ozzy Diaz
- Michael Aswell Jr vs Joosang Yoo
How to watch UFC 331?
UFC 331 is broadcast live on Paramount+ in the US, TNT Sports in the United Kingdom, Foxtel/Kayo in Australia, Sportsnet+ in Canada, and on UFC Fight Pass worldwide.
What is the winner prediction for the main event?
Pantoja opens as a slight -120 favourite to win the fight according to DraftKings, with Van listed as a +100 underdog.
