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Van Retains UFC Flyweight Title in Unanimous Decision Over Pantoja
Confirmed
In Short: Joshua Van retained his UFC flyweight title with a unanimous decision over Alexandre Pantoja in UFC 331 in Los Angeles.
Joshua Van retained his UFC flyweight title with a unanimous decision over Alexandre Pantoja in UFC 331 in Los Angeles, cementing his reign atop the 125-pound division.
Van’s professional MMA record now stands at 18 wins and two losses, following his second successful title defense.
The bout was a rematch of their first encounter, which ended in December 2025 when Pantoja suffered an accidental elbow dislocation, leading to questions about the legitimacy of Van’s title.
In Saturday night’s main event, Van showcased superior striking skills, outclassing Pantoja with a series of left-handed jabs and fluid combinations of punches.
Pantoja initially took Van down in the first round and landed heavy punches and knees, but Van retaliated with a slicing elbow.
Van dominated the second and third rounds with a flurry of left-handed jabs and a powerful combination of punches that rocked Pantoja.
In the fourth round, Pantoja managed to take Van down but failed to submit him, while Van maintained control in the final round, knocking Pantoja down with an overhand right.
Van’s judges’ scorecards read 49-46, 49-47, and 50-45, reflecting his commanding performance.
In the co-main event, Armenian contender Arman Tsarukyan knocked out Mauricio Ruffy in the first round, staking his claim for a shot at the lightweight title.
Tsarukyan called for a title shot inside the Octagon, jokingly mentioning Mark Zuckerberg if the UFC did not act accordingly.
Van’s victory marks his second successful title defense and his second consecutive victory over Pantoja, solidifying his status as the UFC flyweight champion.
What this adds
The bout in December 2025 raised questions about the legitimacy of Van’s title, but this rematch silenced any doubts.
Van’s performance in the rematch was described as outstanding, despite Pantoja’s strong showing.
What's confirmed
- Undisputed flyweight champion Van cemented his reign atop the 125-pound (56.7kg) division, defeating the Brazilian via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-47, 50-45) in the main event on Saturday night.
- Pantoja had suffered an accidental elbow dislocation 26 seconds into their first fight in December last year, resulting in Van becoming the UFC flyweight champion without an outright win over the Brazilian, who had reigned over the division for at least two years.
- Pantoja took Van down in the first round before landing heavy punches and knees in a fiery exchange, as Van retaliated with a slicing elbow.
- Van peppered Pantoja with left-handed jabs in the second round and rocked the Brazilian with a fluid combination of punches in the third.
- Pantoja controlled the fourth round as he took Van down but was unable to submit him.
- In the final round, Van stalked Pantoja and knocked him down with an overhand right, securing the win on the judges’ scorecards.
What's still developing
- Van, the first UFC champion from Myanmar, defended the belt against Tatsuro Taira in May but was left waiting to seal his status as the best in the division as 36-year-old Pantoja recovered from the injury.
- Van, the first UFC champion born in the 2000s, defended the belt against Tatsuro Taira in May but can now claim to be the best in the division after soundly beating 36-year-old Pantoja again.
- Van had previously defended his title for the first time on May 9 this year, defeating Japan’s Tatsuro Taira by fifth-round TKO.
- He has now won 11 of his 12 UFC bouts, including both encounters with Pantoja, suffering just one defeat.
- Kicking off the main card, veteran Alonzo Menifield (16-5-1 MMA) showed his trademark grit and durability, overcoming a compound fracture in his left thumb to defeat Poland’s Iwo Baraniewski (9-1 MMA) via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) at light heavyweight.
- With the victory, the 24-year-old Van erased any lingering doubts from their first meeting at UFC 323 in December, where an arm injury halted Pantoja just 26 seconds into the bout.
- Pantoja brought immediate heat from the opening bell, refusing a touch of gloves before securing a body lock takedown inside the first 10 seconds and hunting for mount.
- The intensity surged in the second frame following an accidental clash of heads that opened a cut above Pantoja’s left eye, with Van finding a regular home for his jab while Pantoja answered with a late takedown and body triangle.
- After a competitive third round highlighted by Van’s crisp boxing volleys and perimeter takedown defense, Pantoja swung momentum back in the fourth.
- With the title on the line, Van authored a dominant fifth frame.
- Van walked Pantoja down with multi-punch flurries, dropping the challenger with a flush one-two before advancing to top position with ground-and-pound.
- Van shut down Pantoja’s desperate late wrestling attempts and picked him apart on the feet until the final horn sounded.