The upcoming UFC 331 will feature Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja tussling for the flyweight title. UFC 331 is known as Crypto.com UFC 331 because of sponsorship and is also produced by the UFC. The event will mark the sixth visit to Los Angeles. The UFC event rematch between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja is set for the main card. Joshua Van already beat the same opponent two years ago. Now, he will prepare to face Pantoja again. Alexandre Pantoja will look to prove his resilience and determination in the upcoming event.
In the co-main event, Arman Tsarukyan will face Mauricio Ruffy in the lightweight bout. Tsarukyan is an excellent submission grappler, freestyle wrestler, and professional mixed martial artist. Mauricio Ruffy is an experienced MMA fighter and currently competes in the lightweight division.
Past UFC Rivals and Memorable Battles
Jean Silva claimed a victory over Jose Miguel Delgado in a featherweight bout. In the co-main event, Brandon Moreno defeated Joseph Morales in a third-round bout by split decision. Tommy McMillen claimed a win against Marwan Rahiki in a featherweight bout. In a women’s flyweight bout, Alexa Grasso defeated Manon Fiorot in the third-round victory. Waldo Cortes Acosta suffered a defeat to Curtis Blaydes in a heavyweight bout. David Martinez claimed a victory against Dan Ige by decision in the third round.
Tim Elliott defeated Edgar Chairez by unanimous decision in a catchweight bout. In a welterweight bout, Ignacio Bahamondes claimed a win against Muslim Salikhov in the third round. Yousri Belgaroui defeated Djorden Santos by KO/TKO in the early first round. Drakkar Klose lost to Tommy Gantt in a lightweight bout. In a lightweight bout, Rongzhu defeated Rafa Garcia in the second round. In another matchup, Sean King III claimed an early victory over Jessie Rosas in a featherweight bout. In a women’s flyweight bout, JJ Aldrich lost to Regina Tarin by decision in the third round.
Both Fighters’ Backgrounds and MMA Careers
Joshua Van
Joshua Van was born in Hakha, Chin State, western Myanmar. He grew up with four siblings. His supportive family helped him continue his fascination with mixed martial arts. He started his professional mixed martial arts career in 2021. Van recorded two consecutive victories in 2021.
Following that defeat, Van delivered eight consecutive victories between 2022 and 2024. Joshua Van later suffered a defeat to Charles Johnson. He returned back with seven consecutive victories between 2024 and 2026. Now, Joshua Van will aim to secure another victory against Alexandre Pantoja for the flyweight title.
Alexandre Pantoja
Alexandre Pantoja was born and grew up in Brazil. He is the youngest of three children. He struggled during his childhood, especially after his parents separated. Pantoja developed an interest in Brazilian jiu-jitsu through his stepfather. He moved to Arraial do Cabo and started training at the age of 12. During this period, he faced challenges with his stepfather but continued his Brazilian jiu-jitsu journey. Alexandre Pantoja later started competing in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Pantoja later transitioned to mixed martial arts and made his professional debut at 17 in 2007. He recorded two consecutive victories in 2007 and 2008. Pantoja lost to William Vianna in 2008, suffering his first defeat of the period. He later returned with five consecutive victories between 2008 and 2009. Pantoja delivered inconsistent performances throughout his MMA career. Alexandre Pantoja will aim to bounce back with a victory against Jousha Van at UFC 331.
Event Details for UFC 331
Main Event: Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja
Date: September 19, 2026 (Saturday)
Time: 09:00 PM ET | 06:00 PM PT | 06:30 AM IST (Next Day)
Venue: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, United States.
Where can I watch UFC 331: Van vs. Pantoja 2?
UFC 331 will be available on Paramount+ in the United States. This platform will offer a subscription or an active free trial.
SuperSport, DStv, or DStv Stream will air UFC 331 for viewers in South Africa. This platform will give live coverage of the main card and preliminary matches.
In Canada, viewers will see the UFC event on Sportsnet+. The UFC event will feature a flyweight bout between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja.
TNT Sports will be streamed at the UFC event in Ireland. On other platforms, HBO Max will have the live broadcast rights. The headlining bout between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja will affect their rankings.
Fans can watch UFC 331 on SonyLIV and the Sony Sports Network in India. It will also be available on other platforms, including Sony Sports Network (Sony Ten 2) and Jio TV (Sony Ten channels).
In the United Kingdom, the UFC 331 event will air on TNT Sports, Sky Sports, Virgin Media, and EE TV. In addition, UFC will also air on Amazon Prime Video with a TNT Sports subscription. Every electrifying exchange from this bout will be live on the TNT Sports app. UFC fans can watch highlights and replays of UFC events.
Fans can also experience the upcoming UFC Fight Night live on bet365.com! Stay connected with us to see all the thrilling moments.
Joshua Van vs Alexandre Pantoja Fight Card
Main Card
Joshua Van (c) vs Alexandre Pantoja (Flyweight)
Arman Tsarukyan vs Maurício Ruffy (Lightweight)
Patrício Pitbull vs Dooho Choi (Featherweight)
Renato Moicano vs Brian Ortega (Lightweight)
Alonzo Menifield vs Iwo Baraniewski (Light Heavyweight)
Prelims
Gable Steveson vs Sean Sharaf (Heavyweight)
Marlon Vera vs Charles Jourdain (Bantamweight)
Tai Tuivasa vs Robelis Despaigne (Heavyweight)
Michael Aswell Jr. vs Joosang Yoo (Featherweight)
Early Prelims Card
Ryan Gandra vs Ozzy Diaz (Middleweight)
Edmen Shahbazyan vs Brunno Ferreira (Middleweight)
Casey O’Neill vs Eduarda Moura (Women’s Flyweight)
Giga Chikadze vs Joanderson Brito (Featherweight)
Fighter Profiles and Key Stats
Bio and Stats Details
Joshua Van
Alexandre Pantoja
Nationality
Burmese and American
Brazilian
Age
24
36
Height
5”5”
5”5”
Reach
65”
68”
Total Fights
19
36
Record
17-2-0 (9 Knockouts)
30-6-0 (8 Knockouts)
Fighters’ Professional MMA Records
Joshua Van
Sl.No
Opponents
Result
Type
1
Tony Esquivel
Win
TKO (knees to the body)
2
Chase Eastham
Win
TKO (punches)
3
Devon Jackson
Loss
Submission (rear-naked choke)
4
Francisco Obando
Win
TKO (punches)
5
Angelo Trujillo
Win
KO (head kick)
6
Mario Suazo
Win
Submission (calf slicer)
7
Paris Moran
Win
TKO (punches)
8
Cleveland McLean
Win
Submission (rear-naked choke)
9
Zhalgas Zhumagulov
Win
Decision (split)
10
Kevin Borjas
Win
Decision (unanimous)
11
Felipe Bunes
Win
TKO (punches)
12
Charles Johnson
Loss
KO (punches)
13
Édgar Cháirez
Win
Decision (unanimous)
14
Cody Durden
Win
Decision (unanimous)
15
Rei Tsuruya
Win
Decision (unanimous)
16
Bruno Gustavo da Silva
Win
TKO (punches)
17
Brandon Royval
Win
Decision (unanimous)
18
Alexandre Pantoja
Win
TKO (arm injury)
19
Tatsuro Taira
Win
TKO (front kick to the body and punches)
Alexandre Pantoja
Sl.No
Opponents
Result
Type
1
Antônio Carlos
Win
Submission (armbar)
2
Peterson Malfort
Win
TKO (punches)
3
William Vianna
Loss
Decision (split)
4
Gabriel Wolff
Win
TKO (doctor stoppage)
5
Bruno Moreno
Win
TKO (doctor stoppage)
6
Michael William Costa
Win
Decision (unanimous)
7
Magno Alves
Win
KO (punch)
8
Ralph Alves
Win
Decision (split)
9
Jussier Formiga
Loss
Decision (unanimous)
10
Bruno Azevedo
Win
Submission (rear-naked choke)
11
Samuel de Souza
Win
TKO (elbows and punches)
12
Sandro Gemaque de Souza
Win
KO (punches)
13
Lincoln de Sá Oliveira
Win
Decision (unanimous)
14
Rodrigo Favacho dos Santos
Win
Submission (rear-naked choke)
15
Daniel Araújo
Win
Submission (rear-naked choke)
16
Lincoln de Sá Oliveira
Win
Decision (unanimous)
17
Matt Manzanares
Win
Submission (rear-naked choke)
18
Damacio Page
Win
Technical Submission (triangle choke)
19
Eric Shelton
Win
Decision (split)
20
Neil Seery
Win
Submission (rear-naked choke)
21
Dustin Ortiz
Loss
Decision (unanimous)
22
Brandon Moreno
Win
Decision (unanimous)
23
Ulka Sasaki
Win
Submission (rear-naked choke)
24
Wilson Reis
Win
TKO (punches)
25
Deiveson Figueiredo
Loss
Decision (unanimous)
26
Matt Schnell
Win
KO (punches)
27
Askar Askarov
Loss
Decision (unanimous)
28
Manel Kape
Win
Decision (unanimous)
29
Brandon Royval
Win
Submission (rear-naked choke)
30
Alex Perez
Win
Submission (neck crank)
31
Brandon Moreno
Win
Decision (split)
32
Brandon Royval
Win
Decision (unanimous)
33
Steve Erceg
Win
Decision (unanimous)
34
Kai Asakura
Win
Technical Submission (rear-naked choke)
35
Kai Kara-France
Win
Submission (rear-naked choke)
36
Joshua Van
Loss
TKO (arm injury)
Prediction
Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja
UFC 331 will feature a flyweight title fight between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja. Joshua Van is a young fighter and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. His nickname is “The Fearless,” and he has multiple victories in his MMA career. Van is the current champion of the UFC, which highlights his strong form. He has suffered only two losses in his MMA career. Joshua Van enters the fight in strong recent form as the reigning UFC flyweight champion.
Van has showcased strong knockout ability throughout his MMA career. His striking accuracy is strong, but his takedown accuracy has been comparatively lower. Joshua Van has shown some weaknesses in his submission game and will aim to improve in that area ahead of the matchup. Van will aim to deliver another strong performance and retain his flyweight title against Pantoja.
On the other hand, Alexandre Pantoja is an experienced fighter. He currently competes in the UFC flyweight division. His full name is Alexandre Pantoja Passidomo, and he is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Pantoja has recorded inconsistent performances between 2019 and 2025. He suffered a recent loss against Joshua Van in December 2025. He has recorded multiple submission victories throughout his MMA career. Based on his recent form, Joshua Van could have the edge in the anticipated rematch.